The healing power of silver and ingredients in skincare products and burn creams like silvadene
According to rxlist.com, each gram of Silvadene Cream 1% contains 10 mg of micronized silver sulfadiazine. Silvadene Cream also consist of other chemicals such as white petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, isopropyl myristate, sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, propylene glycol, and water, with methylparaben (0.3% as a preservative).
The main ingredient in Silvadene that has made this cream a great remedy for treating burns and cuts is natural Silver and Sulfadiazine. Although food and drug administration hasn’t recognized silver as safe (such an irony when other petroleum derivatives and known carcinogen are considered GRAS=Generally Regarded As Safe by the same agency), silver has been used medicinally for thousands of years as a natural antibiotic to fight infections and diseases.
Although the healing power of colloidal silver is mainly suppressed in US by giant Pharmaceutical companies and regularity agencies like FDA, the US military (in some months) purchases over 1,000 gallons of colloidal silver to fight off against viruses and bacteria for soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq as well as protection against Asian flu/viruses.
The germ-killing properties of natural antibacterial and antifungal of copper and silver have been known for thousands of years by the ancient Semitic civilization and later by Babylonian. Colloidal silver has been used throughout the world, in Europe, Asia, and North America for fighting bacteria without the harmful side effects associated to pharmaceutical anti-bacterial pills which may have contaminants and chemical additives. It’s such a shame that the use of colloidal silver is mainly suppressed in US and the real healing power of silver (in few medications like Silvadene) is hidden and undermined by the presence of other harmful chemicals such as petroleum-based derivatives, Sorbitan monostearate or Polyoxyl 40 Stearate.
Other ingredients in silvadene (Silver Sulfadiazine):
Petrolatum and isopropyl myristat: Many skin care products including silvadene use a combination of petrolatum and isopropyl myristat since they both are cheap. In fact, petroleum jelly (also called petrolatum) acts as a lubricant for the manufactures’ machinery and it could get absorbed though the skin much better when it’s combined with isopropyl myristat. Petrolatum on its own isn’t easily absorbed through the skin and when it’s combined with isopropyl myristat, it could get absorbed deeply.
However, studies have shown that isopropyl myristat could end up clogging the skin pores and many block the supply of oxygen into the skin and result in dead skin deprived from essential nutrients. Also, when isopropyl myristat comes in contact with other substances known as diethanolamine or triethanolamine, it transforms into a cancer-causing chemical known as n-nitrosodiethanolamine.
A 2000 study published in the journal of Pediatrics also show that extremely low birth weight infants who received topical petrolatum ointment for skin care were more likely to develop systemic candidiasis. Click here to find more about harms of Petrolatum and isopropyl myristat.
Propylene glycol: Propylene glycol (PG) is a byproduct of bio-diesel production and the studies on dogs and rats (which were fed doses of PG ranging from two to five grams per kg of body weight per day) have shown no signs of cancer. Although cancer might not be a concern, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) calls PG a hazardous substance and warns that contact with PG could result in skin, liver and kidney damage (although this is probably for the more concentrated industrial grade). Other research have shown that other complications like cell mutation, allergies and skin rashes could happen when repeated dosages of PG is applied to the skin.
According to Cathy Sherman (NaturalNews), a former pharmaceutical chemist and author of Health Myths Exposed says that "Working as a chemist, I've seen propylene glycol used with the drugs lorazepam, etomidate, diazepam, nitroglycerin, and phenytoin to increase solubility. It's foreign to the body and as such is toxic. Too much would be about 1800 mg for a 165 lb person”.
Glycerin: Gglycerin is used in many cosmetics and skin care products as a moisturizer. But the fact is that unless you live somewhere with 65% humidity in the air, glycerin dries up the skin from inside out by drawing the moisture from the skin and holding it to the surface.
Sorbitan monostearate: Sorbitan monostearate has been linked to skin irritation (when applied repeatedly) and research have shown that repeated oral administration of sorbitan monostearate could affect kidney, liver and blood of rats and mice. Sorbitan monostearate has also been linked to gastro-intestinal disturbances in dogs and hamsters.
Polyoxyl 40 Stearate (listed as PEG - 40 Stearate): According toCosmetics Database, PEG has been linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, contamination, organ toxicity, and skin irritation. A study published in the International Journal of Toxicology shows that PEGs (including Polyoxyl 40 Stearate) can contain harmful impurities like Ethylene Oxide, known to increase the incidences of uterine, brain, or breast cancers, and leukemia. (Source: truthinaging.com).
Although researchers say that products or formulas containing Polyoxyl 40 Stearate should not be used in irritated or broken skin, many burn creams including silvadene have Polyoxyl 40 Stearate in them:
Studies show that patients suffering from severe burns who were treated with PEG-based antimicrobial cream end up with kidney toxicity. "The PEG content of the antimicrobial cream was determined to be the causative agent. However, no evidence of systemic toxicity occurred in studies with intact skin. Because of the observation of kidney effects in burn patients, the CIR Expert Panel qualified their conclusion on the safety of the PEG ingredients to state that cosmetic formulations containing these ingredients should not be used on damaged skin" (http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/polyoxyl-40-stearate).
Sources:
http://www.healthy-communications.com/skin_carejudithtovey.htm
http://www.ehow.com/list_6011650_dangers-isopropyl-myristate.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/023138_propylene_glycol_products_natural.html
http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/polyoxyl-40-stearate
