Page 20 - Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture Booklet

the appearance of a dull, lifeless looking complexion due to excessive thickness of the
epidermis.

Since exfoliation can also help reduce the production of the skin’s surface oils, people
with excessively oily skin may enjoy this additional benefit, particularly if exfoliating
with beta and/or alpha-hydroxy acid containing products. For those with dry skin,
however, exfoliation has the potential to produce irritation so only products specifically
formulated for their skin type should be used.

A Note on Safety

In choosing skin care products for regular use, it is important to avoid those with
unnecessary ingredients that have the potential to be harmful. Following, is a short list of
such ingredients that are commonly found in many retail products.

For a more extensive listing of safety data pertaining to the ingredients in cosmetic
products please visit: www.ewg.org

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate:

A detergent common in shampoos and cleaners, where it is relatively safe due to the short
contact time associated with such uses. Prolonged exposure, however, may cause skin
irritation, dryness and other damage.

Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea:

Used as preservatives to prevent bacterial growth they are known to be a relatively
common cause of contact dermatitis. (Also labelled as Germall II and Germall 115)

Germall 115 may release formaldehyde, a potentially toxic chemical.

Synthetic Fragrances:

There is no way to know which particular synthetic compounds might be in a skin-care
product as they might simply be labelled as "Fragrance." The safety of most synthetic