Cancer Risk with H202 35% ?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:26 am

i read somewhere that using h202 35% could cause pre cancerous conditions that may manifest later in life. This is the reason some tooth whitening paste of high concentration have been banned.I am upset as i was getting really hopeful about using h202 35% on my seb k. Has anyone heard of this risk, is there a risk with glycolic acid? Where did I read this re h202 35%, been trying to find out? i remember the post or article said 3% hydrogen peroxide is fine, risk free.

I found the post: "Hi PeachySkin,

Please do a bit of research before you put that stuff on your body. 30% hydrogen peroxide is enough to induce changes that lead to a pre-cancerous condition. Cancer usually takes quite some time before showing after exposure to carcinogens .. could be 10 years could be 30 but there is this extended latency. Low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide so far haven't shown these carcinogenic effects as is evidenced by a study on toothpaste whiteners (3% concentration) but studies on 30% concentrations do.

Cheers chrisso"

Any comments?

free skin care · Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:19 am

Hi Kam67

,

H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) is an unstable molecule. It can react with (oxidize) other molecules, but it also spontaneously turns into oxygen gas and water.

Your body naturally produces H2O2 during normal metabolism, and it's also produced in other body processes. For example, your immune cells use it to help fight off bacteria and foreign invaders.

The main concern with H2O2 is that it causes some oxidation, i.e., it damages other molecules, atoms, etc. But as long as you use it in balance, at low concentrations, you should have no problem, and in fact, it can be a great thing. The key is just not to use too much cumulatively. As long as you use it in moderation, you should be fine.

With the 35% H2O2, you want to be very careful with it, as in concentrations that high, it burns your skin. You want to use it in much lower doses. For your facial skin, I would recommend not exceeding 3%. When my fiance and I dilute our 35% H2O2 to 3%, if we accidentally spill it, we get these slight skin burns that turn white. So I would never use more than about 3% (-ish) unless you know what you're doing. Oh, and finally, doing a patch test on your arm, before you try your face, is a good idea.

I don't know about the science behind glycolic acid.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

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