During the pandemic Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 situation, sanitizer has become an important part of our daily life.
The drops of sanitizers are said to be one of the major things to prevent the spread of virus and become a routine of the day.
While the use of sanitizers at some extent save us from being infected of the virus, it has several health issues and side effects.
Excess use of sanitizers could lead to serious health issues, which include fertility, skin allergy and more.
What are some of the hazards of sanitizers:
Frequent use of sanitizer could increase your risk of Eczema, an itchy inflammation of skin. Sanitizers contain 60% of alcohol which could be dangerous to your skin.
Skin allergies, redness, itching, cracks and dryness are some of the common effects of sanitizers.
A cosmetic expert Vanessa Thomas said, “Hand sanitizers are antiseptic products—they are formulated to disinfect the skin.” He further said, “The primary disinfecting ingredient in hand sanitizer formulas is ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, and they are formulated along with thickeners softeners and sometimes fragrances to curtail the strong smell of alcohol. Frequent use of it can cause skin irritation, or dry out the skin. If you have sensitive skin, the effects can be worse. The drying out is caused by alcohol.”
“If you cannot minimize your hand sanitizer use, a good idea is to follow up with a moisturizing regimen. Dry skin is caused by a lack of water content in the skin. A moisturizer with humectants and occlusives is best. Occlusives help to create a film over the skin to hold the moisture in, and humectants (hyaluronic acid is an example of one) help to attract water to the skin.”
Fertility:
A few formulation of sanitizers could affect fertility of a person, as alcohol consist Sanitinzers may function as antiseptic. Over use could lead to rates of asthema and other issues.
Hormonal issues:
According to sources, triclosan present in a hand sanitizer could cause hormone problems. This causes the bacteria to adapt to its antimicrobial properties, which creates more antibiotic resistant strains.
Affect immune system:
Sanitizer formula also at times affect immunity of your body. It weakens the human immune function, making an individual open to allergies and infections.
Impact on your development:
A hand sanitizer that has too much fragrance could be loaded with toxic chemicals, which could affect human body development and reproduction.
Chemicals could negatively affect the functioning of hormones, fertility, birth outcomes, and reproductive development.
Skin disorder:
One could get a skin disorder with the excessive use of alcohol based hand sanitizers. Overdoing may remove benign bacteria on the skin that is not good for an individual.
Effects on children:
As many hand sanitizers contain very high levels of alcohol, doctors witness cases of alcohol poisoning when it’s imbibed. A medical expert said, “Since hand sanitizers are easily available, there have been many cases globally where teenagers were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning from consuming hand sanitizer.”
Ways to prevent excess use of hand sanitizer:
To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or, if they are not available, using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Following that advice is essential, but “increased contact with irritants and allergens may increase the risk of hand dermatitis or ‘eczema.’ This commonly manifests on the skin with redness, dryness, cracks, and even blisters that cause itch or pain,” Caroline Nelson, M.D. a Yale Medicine dermatologist and instructor at Yale School of Medicine, tells Eat This, Not That! Health.
advises dermatologist Peterson Pierre, M.D., of the Pierre Skin Care Institute said, “”It’s important to not overdo the sanitizer and to moisturize after every use.”
Dr. Nelson said, “Using a moisturizer, ideally containing mineral oil or petrolatum, can help prevent hand dermatitis. While moisturizer should be applied immediately after hand washing, this is not the case when using a hand sanitizer. Individuals should rub their hands together for about 15-30 seconds covering all surfaces with hand sanitizer until the hands are dry, and then apply a moisturizer.”
Washing hands with warm water and soap are the best way to kill any germs.
Instead of using a hand sanitizer every 30 minutes, one could wash hands with soap and water.
Use wet anti-bacteria hand wipes.
Use tea tree oil.
In this situation, where scientists and medical experts are trying to come up with a proven cure for the Novel Coronavirus infection, we need to be safe and follow social vaccine.
Maintain 2 feet distance, wear face masks and hand wash.
Stay tuned for further updates of the Novel Coronavirus.
