Lecture
Petroleum jelly is a product of petroleum refining. Highly purified, so-called white petroleum jelly, is considered relatively safe, whereas poorly purified
grades of yellow petroleum jelly have carcinogenic properties.
It has been shown that with daily applications of petroleum jelly and mineral oil
to the skin of rats, excitation and aggressiveness are observed in the first days,
followed by lethargy and adynamia. After 3-5 days inflammatory processes developed, characterized by mosaic damage to the upper
layers of the skin with detachment of the stratum corneum, and hemorrhage of
small skin vessels occurred.
In addition, poorly purified mineral oil can cause interruption of pregnancy and the development of infertility. The oil penetrates the hematoplacental barrier, negatively affecting the fat and protein metabolism of the embryo,
the permeability of its major vessels and capillaries. A disruption of the mitotic process in chromosomes is observed, and the probability of dominant lethal mutations increases.
Mineral oils, petroleum jelly and paraffin are significant comedogens. Comedogens – these are substances capable of blocking the skin’s “pores”, which leads to the formation of typical complications – comedones (pimples or acne).
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