Shop Now: Toxins. Natural. Organic. GMO. Clean eating. Peptides. Parabens. Aluminum. Chemicals. Detox. Colonic Irrigation?
You’ve no doubt heard some or all of these buzzwords recently, as the current public mood towards things that aren’t meant for, or good for, your body is at an all-time level of awareness. With every health trend that we go through, there will no doubt be some oddball solutions that come from it (see the last phrase up there), but the main idea is a good one. Trends are almost always rooted in a solid main idea. This is usually on the heels of scientific discoveries of how our body works and how the chemicals we employ for our everyday, modern conveniences affect us in the short and long term. Without further ado, today’s topic: toxins and YOU.
Just kidding. So maybe we’re burnt out on hearing about toxins all the time; it seems like every blog on the internet has a way to tell you how to remove them. But while it may be the talk of internet health gurus and generally a health buzzword, toxins are deemed to be very real and may be the main aggressors in many of our modern day illnesses. Clinicians and scientists are becoming more and more convinced that these shady substances, introduced just about everywhere from the air around us, to the antiperspirants we use, to even our coffee cups, are having a key effect on obesity, autism, allergies, cancer, and many other diseases that are suspiciously higher now than they ever were in history.
That’s a lot to take in, right? If it’s all around us, how can we possibly purge ourselves of all of these harmful additives? The good news comes in a couple forms: one, it’s not as urgent as it sounds (we’re not talking about mustard gas here). Two, there are many things we can do as consumers to phase these things out of our bodies and out of our lives. Today, we’ll focus on a simple one: antiperspirants.
Traditionally containing a plethora of harmful ingredients, including aluminum, Triclosan, parabens, phthalates, and various other chemicals, depending on the brand, deodorants and antiperspirants have been a couple of the most unsuspecting toxin delivery agents we use daily. The noxious ingredients have become so widespread in public knowledge, that even Time Magazine created an article on the dangers of certain bad chemicals contained in them. Paraben has since been proven to be harmful, and most larger brands have phased it out. The problem with this approach is that these companies require an ingredient to have inconclusive evidence of harm (which means it has already caused problems, and we’ve been using it for years) before they will begin the presumably expensive process of replacing it. One of the most egregious effects these ingredients can have is messing around with your hormones, inhibiting estrogen function in the local area.
“But I can’t just stop using antiperspirants, I’ll become a pariah of society with pit stains becoming my scarlet letter!” you yell out loud, at no one. Don’t worry, we have a few solutions in mind. Ranked from least effective to most effective:
- Stop using antiperspirants cold turkey, live in the woods.
- Find expensive alternatives, possibly with their own side effects, negating your crusade to rid yourself of toxins.
- Just stop sweating.
Wait, you can just stop sweating? The answer is a resounding yes, yes you can. Specifically in the underarms. Sweating overall is good for our bodies, it helps regulate our temperature and is also a pushes out toxins we ingest, but when it comes to the underarms it seems that it’s more of a hassle today than it was in the times before shirts. The further good news is that you don’t actually need the sweat that’s produced in your armpits; it’s such a small percentage of our sweat glands (around two percent), that its removal has no effect on your ability to sweat healthily.
I didn’t mention how yet. Previously, you may have seen us talk about MiraDry, and if you haven’t heard, it’s the first FDA-approved, non-invasive procedure to eliminate sweat and odor glands from the armpits. And it works. Really well. MiraDry has been proven to reduce underarm sweating by over 80%, often taking a significant portion of the odor with it, all in a 60-minute procedure with no downtime or recovery time needed. The best part? It works forever! Once the glands are removed, you’ll never need the procedure again. One procedure is all many patients need, but a follow-up procedure is recommended for best results. So, not only is it super effective with patients that suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), it’s just as effective on patients who just want to eliminate pit stains and odor from the armpit – permanently.
It’s as simple as that. Remove the sweat, remove the need for noxious antiperspirants and maybe receive a huge confidence boost as an added bonus! We’ve already discussed MiraDry’s procedure in detail here, please check it out! For more information on MiraDry, how it works, or to set an appointment, be sure to check out our website or call to speak to our health care providers.
Weiler Plastic SurgeryHammond, La: (985) 902-7770Baton Rouge, La: (225) 399-0001
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