Should You Use Talc-Free Makeup? Let's talk talc. Say that five times fast! Talc is the ingredient that caused me to toss half of my make up stash in the trash. Talc is a common ingredient across many products in the makeup and personal care product industry; in fact, it's often the first ingredient listed! Talc may sound familiar to you as it was at the center of the multibillion dollar Jonson & Johnson lawsuit. To summarize, many of the plaintiffs claimed that the talc used in Johnson & Johnson baby powder was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen. And that this exposure to asbestos from using the product led to the development of gynecologic and lung cancers. As of 2020, talc has been replaced with cornstarch in Johnson & Johnson baby powder (commissions earned). For more information on the case, check out this New York Times article . Now, back to makeup. The problem. Talc is a common ingredient in makeup and personal care products, particularly bl
Content warning: mentions cancer and death If I had a dollar for every time a patient came into my office and said they “want to be checked for cancer,” well…I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog post! There is no single universal test for cancer, but common things happen commonly. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths when men and women are combined ( cancer.org ). Screening for colorectal cancer should be on your list to be “checked for cancer.” For those at average risk, screening for colorectal cancer should begin at age 45 ( cdc.gov ). If you want to know more about colorectal cancer incidence, risk factors and screening methods, then check out last week's blog post here . I am at increased risk for colorectal cancer, because my father died from complications of colon cancer when he was only 45. So though I’m only in my thirties, I’ve already had my first screening colonoscopy, which is the gold standard screening method for individuals at hig