Are Essential Oils absorbed through the skin

[Nerd]

H.R.T patches? jaxxxxxxxxx

 

[L8-4-D8]

Originally Posted by Energylz
(copied from other thread, as you're right it was going off topic)

That's intersting fleur, cos that would mean that the essential oil would have had to go through your skin, into your bloodstream and pass into your stomach in the reverse direction from how the nutrients of your food are extracted. I'm no expert but I don't think that that is biologically possible, even with substances that are known to be absorbed through the skin.






I am confused here Energylz, are you disagreeing that essential oils penetrate into the skin, to be used by internal organs such as the intestines in my experience, or are you agreeing that it can happen by your nicotene patch example? I know the thread is about if essential oils actually penetrate the skin, but we use that method via massage to reach internal organs to do the work for which they were intended.

 

[CRK4385]

No, I'm not disagreeing at all.

I can see how Essential Oils can get in the bloodstream, that's obvious to me, but for you to actually burp up the flavour of the oil it would have had to get inside your stomach, past the stomach wall lining. Like I said, I'm no expert on biology, but I thought that stuff only really passed from inside the stomach outwards and not the other way around.

Love and Reiki Hugs

 

[Ur Hunny]

This topic reminded me of some stuff I'd read about the dangers of applying essential oils onto the skin of animals.

Here is one article I found:

"Villar D, Knight MJ, Hansen SR, Buck WB. Toxicity of melaleuca oil and related essential oils applied topically on dogs and cats. Vet Human Toxicol. 1994;36(2):139-142.
Abstract: "Cases of melaleuca oil toxiosis have been reported by veterinarians to the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) when the oil was appled dermally to dogs and cats. In most cases, the oil was used to treat dermatologic conditions at inappropriate high doses. The typical signs observed were depression, weakness, incoordination and muscle tremors. The active ingredients of commercial melaleuca oil are predominantly cyclic terpenes. Treatment of clinical signs and supportive care has been sufficient to achieve recovery without sequelae within 2-3 days."
"Toxicity: The most common clinical signs reported to the Animal Poison Control Center by veterinarians with adverse reactions in dogs and cats after dermal exposure of melaleuca oil include ataxia, incoordination, weakness, tremors, behavioral disorders and depression. The acute toxcicity (rabbit dermal LD 50 and rat oral LC 50) for the major terpenic compounds (linalool, ocimene, alpha-terpinene, 1,8-cineole, terpinolene, camphene) ranges between 2 and 5 g/kg body weight, which is considered a moderately toxic range. From a toxicologic standpoint melaleuca oil can be compared to oil of turpentine, which is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and skin. The highly lipophilic nature of melaleuca oil not only potentiates its antiseptic properties on the skin, but also its dermal absorption, which may account for the episodes reported to the NAPCC."
www.holisticat.com/essoils_arch.html

So, if chemicals can penetrate the dermis of an animal, isn't it possible for substances to pass through human skin as well?

How do those Ibruprofen ointments work that the drug companies are so keen to sell us?


Here's another extract from a website about skin patches.......

How They Work
A skin patch uses a special membrane to control the rate at which the liquid drug contained in the reservoir within the patch can pass through the skin and into the bloodstream. The basic components of any transdermal delivery system include the drug(s) dissolved or dispersed in a reservoir or inert polymer matrix; an outer backing film of paper, plastic, or foil; and a pressure-sensitive adhesive that anchors the patch to the skin. The adhesive is covered by a release liner, which needs to be peeled off before applying the patch to the skin. Drugs administered via skin patches include scopolamine, nicotine, estrogen, nitroglycerin, and lidocaine (see Table I).
Table I Important Substances Delivered via Skin Patches
Scopolamine for Motion Sickness
Nicotine for Smoking Cessation
Estrogen for Menopause and Osteoporosis
Nitroglycerin for Angina
Lidocaine for Shingles
Source: Greystone Assoc.

http://pffc-online.com/disposables/paper_drug_dispensers/

 

[Larondolin]

I glad to see patches has already been mentioned.

If the medical professionals are writing off aromatherapy then they must also hold their hands up and say they are fooling us too!

 

[littlest Pixie]

This funnily enough is an on-going argument I have with my husband. I say your skin is a protective layer that stops anything entering the internal parts of the body. He says it is possible for stuff to penetrate.

I will agree that if something applied to the skin damages the skin in some way then yes it is possible it will end up in the blood stream or if the skin is damaged in the first place. I personally don't believe anything oils or anything else can penetrate the top couple of layers unless it alters the makeup of the skin in some way to do so.

Skin is water tight and what about all those cosmetics that have been constantly rubbed in, to my knowledge I have never heard of anyone becomming ill through this. I personally have been applying all sorts for near on 60 years.

 

[Dee Dee]

I was told that on my ITEC body massage course, along with pregnant women, diabetics etc simply because its a college course! They're not insured for that! Once your qualified, your insurance body tells you who you can and can't treat. And also you have to be registered with the Aromatherapy council I believe in order to treat cancer/hospice patients. come on now. Also how would you say essential oils work then and why you even need to be specially qualified to use them. Why can't it just be incorporated into body massage qualifications if there isn't a health & safety aspect to it?

 

[Jennifer*]

How do you explain Nicotine or HRT patches then?


We're getting into the realms of molecular biology now (not one of my strong areas). As I understand it, molecules of certain substances are too large to penetrate through the skin, although other substances have smaller molecular structures and can penetrate. Water, I believe, is fairly large, but also consider when you have a bath and your skin goes all wrinkly, this is because the water has soaked into the skin and hydrated it, the water does not just run off like it does from a ducks back.
Although with essential oils the oil itself may have too large a molecular structure (I'm not sure myself), there can possibly be the essence of the oil that is smaller and can penetrate.

It's also known that if the body were to be totally painted in an air tight paint this can suffocate the body and cause great illness (something the Myth Busters demonstrated on their program) because the skin needs to be able to breathe i.e. take in oxygen, as well as be able to expell waste from the pores.

There's no need for there to be a break in the skin for substances, or at least the essense of those substances, to enter the bloodstream.

Love and Reiki Hugs

 

[moosaidthebrit]

We have trained many aromatherapists who are nurses and carers and they are fully insured and use aromatherapy within the NHS and Hospices with the permission of the consultants and none of them belong to the aromatherapy council.

 

[Leonardo]

Placebo?



This isn't quite the same as sinking in thru the skin.

 

[chrissy boy]

Nope, they are medically proven to provide Nicotine or the necessary hormones into the bloodstream.


Not quite, but it's an indication that the skin is not a sealed unit as you imply when you say it is "water tight".



Love and Reiki Hugs

 

[fkelgugdilfionerj]

I am only giving a opinion here as I have never used either Nicotine patches or HRT patches, but these are left on the skin for quite a long time aren't they? Can you tell me when they are removed is the skin exactly the same in structure as before they were applied or has a change taken place?

 

[Susiepolls2008]

I'm afraid I can't answer your questions, orangeblossom, and I've personally never used patches for anything, but yesterday I posted in the Travel forum * a weblink for someone enquiring about insect repellent. The link is to the main page of this site, which has patches for all manner of things:

http://www.naturalpatches.co.uk/

I did notice on the insect repellent one that instructions are given for when to apply the patches (ie how long they take to become effective), and how often they should be replaced.

* http://www.healthypages.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=400347#post400347

Holistic

 

[miedfuvnivyirtemd]

I've used nicotine patches in the past, they were only medium strength as I only smoked about 10 a day. I can vouch that they start to work not long after being applied. The ones I used were only supposed to be applied during the day and worked on a slow-release principle, if ever I forgot to remove it before bedtime I would wake feeling nauseous and light headed in the morning. I don't know anything about any changes to the skin, other than annoying, unsightly, sticky residue from the adhesive which I had to scrub with a loofah and olive oil to remove.

Here's an article about nicotine poisoning in children.

http://life.familyeducation.com/poisons/smoking/36188.html

IMHO this is proof enough that substances can and do pass into the bloodstream via the dermis. Therefore the skin is not an impermeable barrier.

 

[Steve N]

I can't beleive that HRT patches are now been called a placebo!

What about the numbing cream they apply to the hand before a needle? That's got to go deeper than the skin - or it would still hurt!

 

[payne747]

Yep exactly... They put to penetrate into the skin to the blood then only would they be of some effect...