Blog bacteria FDA antibacterial germs hand sanitizers infections
Hand sanitizers can be a good quick substitute for cleaning your hands when you don’t have immediate access to water and soap. These gels are used to prevent the spread of germs and diseases as they disinfect and clean your hands. However, did you know that prolonged use of hand sanitizers can actually do some damage to your skin? The side effects of using hand sanitizers too much has been brought to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) concern in 2010. The FDA had to release a warning about the negative effects of using hand sanitizers way too much.
Here are some of the dangers posed by overusing hand sanitizers:
1. Hand sanitizers can irritate your skin – The alcohol content and other harsh bacteria-killing ingredients can cause skin sensitivity. You may get some itching or a burning sensation on your hands. Hand sanitizers can also dry out your upper skin layers, causing it to peel. It’s recommended that you limit usage to your hands and not to other parts of your body.
2. Your hands become more sensitive to UV light – This means that you may become more susceptible to getting sunburn on your hands. This side effect is due to the fact that the alcohol in the hand sanitizer dries up your skin, causing it to have thinner layers, allowing the sun’s harmful rays to penetrate deeper onto your hands.
3. Ingredients like Triclosan can cause allergic reactions – some hand sanitizers contain a substance called triclosan instead of alcohol. Triclosan is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent commonly used as an ingredient for soaps and cleaning agents. It’s also an active ingredient in pesticides. One of the negative effects of triclosan is upon penetrating your skin’s layers, it can cause allergic reactions as it enters the blood stream.
4. Hand sanitizers do not clean residue material from your hands – Ever had a meal that’s a bit greasy or sweet? It’s recommended that you wash your hands after eating those foods instead of using a hand sanitizer? The fat from popcorn, chicken wings, or french fries, or the sugar from that donut you held cannot be properly removed by using hand sanitizers. What happens when you touch your face with those fingers? The fat or sugar gets transferred to your facial skin.
5. Decreased Effectiveness can lead to more bacteria and germs being spread – The more you use hand sanitizers, the more susceptible your body can be do certain infections. There’s a correlation of your body’s decreased ability to fight outside infections and the stronger resistance of antibodies, and using too hand sanitizers way too often can be the cause.
Negative Effects of Hand Sanitizers On Your Skin
Hand sanitizers can be a good quick substitute for cleaning your hands when you don’t have immediate access to water and soap. These gels are used to prevent the spread of germs and diseases as they disinfect and clean your hands. However, did you know that prolonged use of hand sanitizers can actually do some damage to your skin? The side effects of using hand sanitizers too much has been brought to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) concern in 2010. The FDA had to release a warning about the negative effects of using hand sanitizers way too much.
Here are some of the dangers posed by overusing hand sanitizers:
1. Hand sanitizers can irritate your skin – The alcohol content and other harsh bacteria-killing ingredients can cause skin sensitivity. You may get some itching or a burning sensation on your hands. Hand sanitizers can also dry out your upper skin layers, causing it to peel. It’s recommended that you limit usage to your hands and not to other parts of your body.
2. Your hands become more sensitive to UV light – This means that you may become more susceptible to getting sunburn on your hands. This side effect is due to the fact that the alcohol in the hand sanitizer dries up your skin, causing it to have thinner layers, allowing the sun’s harmful rays to penetrate deeper onto your hands.
3. Ingredients like Triclosan can cause allergic reactions – some hand sanitizers contain a substance called triclosan instead of alcohol. Triclosan is an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent commonly used as an ingredient for soaps and cleaning agents. It’s also an active ingredient in pesticides. One of the negative effects of triclosan is upon penetrating your skin’s layers, it can cause allergic reactions as it enters the blood stream.
4. Hand sanitizers do not clean residue material from your hands – Ever had a meal that’s a bit greasy or sweet? It’s recommended that you wash your hands after eating those foods instead of using a hand sanitizer? The fat from popcorn, chicken wings, or french fries, or the sugar from that donut you held cannot be properly removed by using hand sanitizers. What happens when you touch your face with those fingers? The fat or sugar gets transferred to your facial skin.
5. Decreased Effectiveness can lead to more bacteria and germs being spread – The more you use hand sanitizers, the more susceptible your body can be do certain infections. There’s a correlation of your body’s decreased ability to fight outside infections and the stronger resistance of antibodies, and using too hand sanitizers way too often can be the cause.
