Most of us are aware of things that affecting our skin condition and cause degradation of cells, most common: bad skin routine, wrong cosmetics (unknowing own skin type cause selecting wrong products), too much sun tan, diet (not necessary unhealthy – people often got bad reaction to single products), testing testers in shop on face/lips not on hands, borrowing make-up, and most common – medicines, hormonal problems…
Every one of us want to have beautiful skin. Sometimes finding the cause gets hard and takes a while… excluding so many conditions isn’t easy… but if you struggling to find it your own – then good beauticians, GB, dermatologist hay be helpful in finding the cause…
I always had good skin with few small spots from time to time, nothing serious really. But when I step in my 30+ age – something changed… from 2013 I started getting dry skin areas, flaky skin around my lips, nose, forehead wasn’t affected. from time to time it’s get really bad… so I couldn’t use my make-up, all flaky skin was highlighted by it and visible lot. At the beginning I blamed new face wash and face creams…. I was changing products a few times between Simple, Garnier, Olay, Nivea etc. at the end I sticked to Neutrogena products.
My skin improved just little bit. I had suggestion that this is caused by contraceptive pills, or hormonal problems, but I wasn’t changing pills recently… I use the same one for years now. Hormonal problems – yes, I couldn’t exclude it yet, so its must be checked with GP. HOWEVER recently I had chat with my friend – she mentioned that her boyfriend suffering allergy reaction to chlorine in tap water (!) and they use shower tap water filter!
This was something that made me to dig deeper and get check this out. I BOUGHT IT! And YES! THAT WAS THE REASON OF MY SKIN PROBLEMS!
…so here is few facts about it for you and few links to read. I will get you trough more info BUT I highly recommend to go trough google and youtube to find more details, reviews, facts!
TAP WATER (from shower) caused my skin problems!
What is hard water?
Water which contains calcium and magnesium compounds is called hard water. When rain water – which is naturally soft – seeps through the ground it picks up minerals from soil and rocks it passes through. The Drinking Water Introspective state that two-third of our drinking water in England comes from above ground sources and one-third comes from underground geological formations that store rainwater. The rainwater seeps through porous strata such as sandstone and chalk. Click link to see a map of England which shows the hardness of water around England.
Water distribution
Water is delivered to our homes through various methods and distribution networks. These networks are made from cast iron, plastic or cement. Residues from treatment and corrosion of the pipes can sometimes settle in areas of low water flow.
Water treatment
Water is treated at treatment plants before it gets to all of us. There are three main processes in the treatment process:
- Clarification: This is a process which removes silt, algae, colour, magnesium and aluminum, and various other matter which may be found in raw water. A chemical called coagulant, which is usually Iron or Aluminum salt is added to the water. Making the material coagulate into larger pieces to be removed easier.
- Filtration: The water is then filtered through beds of sand or other material where particles are trapped.
- Disinfection: In England the most common method of disinfection is with the use of Chlorine. Chlorine is used to kill bacteria in the water supply, water companies need to leave a portion of the chlorine in water to ensure that bacteria is controlled on the way from the treatment plant to our taps.
In stores and on-line you can get lots of info regarding tap water filter for drinking, but I never record anything about showers – So question is it safe or not??
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) was formed in 1990 to provide independent reassurance that water supplies in England and Wales are safe and drinking water quality is acceptable to consumers.
The level of chlorine in tap water is very low in England and Wales which contrasts very favourably with practices in other countries where much higher levels are common. Typically water companies keep the level of residual disinfectant in the form of free or combined chlorine to 0.5 mg/l or less. However sometimes during maintenance of the pipe network higher levels are needed. If you occasionally notice a slight taste or smell of chlorine it is probably due to maintenance work in your area, it will not be a long lasting problem and there is no cause to worry. (…)
Why use chlorine?
Water is safe when it leaves the treatment works and the trace of chlorine is there only to preserve the high quality of the water as it passes through the miles of pipes used to convey water to homes and workplaces. Chlorine has a long history of about 100 years of safe use for hygiene purposes worldwide.
Why can I taste or smell chlorine in my water?
There can be minor variations in the amount and the form of the chlorine present in each water supply.Water companies set the levels as part of the safe management of the whole network
(source)
Are these low amounts of chlorine harmful?
(answer by gov. source)
No. (!?) According to WHO – The World Health Organisation has set a health based guideline maximum value of 5 mg/l chlorine as residual disinfectant in drinking water. The levels in tap water in England and Wales are well below this guideline and most water companies aim to keep the level below 1mg/l. Your water company will provide you with a free water quality report showing the maximum and minimum level of residual chlorine in your local water supply on request. (Annual reports can be found here)
Health officials are concerned with the chlorinating by-products (…) its risk for certain types of cancer are now being correlated to the consumption of chlorinated drinking water. The President’s Council on Environmental Quality states that “there is increased evidence for an association between rectal, colon and bladder cancer and the consumption of chlorinated drinking water.” Suspected carcinogens make the human body more vulnerable through repeated ingestion and research indicates the incidence of cancer is 44% higher among those using chlorinated water.
But reducing deaths from waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries.
For more information please see the following websites:
- EPA Fact Sheet- Chlorine
- Chlorine in bathwater is linked to cancer (article)
- Harmful Effects of Chlorine in Water Supply
- Disadvantages of the Chlorination of Drinking Water
Ok. so …What the difference – drinking tap water vs Shower?
SHOWER – water evaporate when u use take hot shower
- that means chlorine fumes gets trough your skin and veins directly do your blood system!
- Breathing/inhalation of small amounts of chlorine (….) adversely affects the human respiratory system. Effects range from coughing and chest pain to water retention in the lungs. Chlorine irritates the skin, the eyes, and the respiratory system. (…) Human health effects associated with breathing or otherwise consuming small amounts of chlorine over long periods of time are not known.
- The chlorine in showering water/ bath can cause rashes and other skin irritations when absorbed by the skin.
- Chlorine is a suspected cause of breast cancer. Women suffering from breast cancer are all found to have 50-60 percent more chlorine in their breast tissue than healthy women.
- Chlorine in the bathwater is linked to cancer
- Even if you can’t smell it, chlorine can cause hidden ailments, such as headaches and other neurotoxic reactions. In addition, chlorine is cosmetically damaging to both hair and skin. For example, chlorine bonds with proteins in the hair making it dry and brittle, causing “blondes to turn green” and washing out colour treated hair. These chemicals in your shower water can strip the skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry, itchy, and prematurely aged. Cause: dry skin & hair, Hives and Rashes, Asthma & Breathing Problems, Bronchitis, Premature Wrinkling of Skin, Cancer from THM Agents
DRINKING TAP WATER – Absorbing chlorine through the skin is thought to be more dangerous because it bypasses the liver, which filters out many harmful chemicals (incl. small amounts of chlorine) when water is swallowed. So in simple language – our body can cope and filtrate itself a small amounts chlorine in your cold tap water. But it’s not recommended to drink shower hot water – hot water its main reason for potential bacterial growth in the hot water heater tank, and because “hot water tends to corrode pipes more quickly than cold water, so you may get more dissolved metals from the hot water tap compared to the cold.”
I boght the most simple and the cheapest in-line shower filter on the market (ebay). It cost me about £12. It should last up to 6 months, and refil cost £5. There is huge choice of more expensive filters… for example filters with vit. C, slim shaped filters, etc. – so select one that suits you best.
I Iam a lover of hot long bath and showers…thats the reason of all my problems – to me this would be also long-term test about my health… as I am also suffering every year from chest, respiratory problems and Bronchitis for about last 3-4 years. If my skin impoved just after one week… then its highly possible that it was affecting my health too…
This is how its looks lookslike.