The dangers of 'Hidden Chemicals' in your products: My personal experience
How I Found Out My Skin Was Allergic to Chemicals (And What I Did About It!)
Hey everyone! My name is Viaan Vyas, and I had a super weird experience over spring break that I want to share. For a while, I kept getting eczema and rashes on my skin, and I didn’t know why. It was super annoying! My parents took me to a dermatologist who gave me strong steroid and antibacterial creams to help manage the rashes and a prescription cleanser, but the rashes kept coming back. So next, my parents took me to an allergy specialist for an allergy test to figure it out.
The Test That Told Me the Truth
The doctor put three patches (T.R.U.E. Test) on my back and told me to leave them there for a few days. I had to wait and see if my skin reacted to anything. And guess what? Two spots got super itchy and bumpy—which meant I was allergic to two chemicals! It is called contact dermatitis, which means every time my skin comes in contact with these chemicals, I could get the rashes, and it could even get worse over time!
When I went back to the doctor, they told me the names of the chemicals: formaldehyde resin and isothiazolinone. (Yeah, those names are impossible to say!) I had no idea what those were, so I decided to check the labels on the stuff I use every day.
The Shocking Truth About My Skincare Products
I couldn’t believe what I found—two of my products had those chemicals in them! And one of them was a prescription cleanser that was supposed to help my skin, but it was actually making things worse. That was pretty scary to learn!
I also researched isothiazolinone, aka methylisothiazolinone (MIT), methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), benzisothiazolinone (BIT), and octylisothiazolinone (OIT) are used in a lot of OTC formulations from big-name Brands in shampoos, soaps, lotions, and other skincare products. Even those marked 'For sensitive skin!'
The Best Part? A.M.B.O. Saved the Day!
I was lucky because fixing this problem was easy. I stopped using the products with these chemicals, I switched to A.M.B.O. I know A.M.B.O. does not have toxic chemicals! That means I don’t have to worry about my skin freaking out when I use them. My skin feels way better now, and I don’t have to deal with those annoying rashes anymore.
So, if your skin ever gets irritated or itchy for no reason, check the ingredients in your products! Some products may have chemicals that can secretly mess with your skin. And if you want something safer, A.M.B.O. is the way to go!