Before I get too engrossed in the beauty side of silicone allergy, I feel it is important to note that silicone is used in lots of medical equipment. If you have a full-blown silicone allergy, it is very important to tell your doctors and make sure it is noted in your medical records.
I discovered (3 years after it was already in my body) that Mirena, the newest form of Intra-uterine contraception (IUD), is made of silicone. At the time I chose it, I wasn't aware of my silicone allergy. It was only recently that I was looking at their website and noticed that it said not to use Mirena if you are allergic to silicone. Oops. Fortunately for me, there had not been any adverse reaction that I know of... however, ever since I had it placed I have had problems with my legs, feet, and ankles swelling, and my abdomen was always very swollen, and now that I think about it, in that last 3 months since I had it removed all of that swelling has gone away. Curious.
In addition, many of the new "improved" contact lenses are made of silicone. This is actually how I learned that I was allergic to it - I broke out into hives... in my eyes. Ouch. After that incident, I started evaluating some of the symptoms I was having, and started doing a little research on silicone allergies. I had hives and massive itching on my head and face all the time, and because of the itching my scalp was flaky. I assumed I had dandruff, but dandruff shampoos made it worse (surprise -- they include silicone). After sniffing around the interwebs a bit, I realized that most of the products I was using every day contained silicone. Now that I have become vigilant about not using ANY product with silicone in it, I am a lot happier person. I'm never itchy, my eyes don't burn, and my skin looks amazing.
Please note that if you think you have ANY type of serious allergy, it is very important to see your doctor. I am not a medical professional of any kind, I simply want to share my experiences and some of my favorite products in the hopes that it might help others who are having a hard time finding any information on silicone allergies. All of the message board posts I find online result in people being told that silicone allergies are very rare, and therefore the person likely does not have one. Many times the logic is, "silicone is a naturally occurring substance." This logic is faulty. People are allergic to peanuts, strawberries, eggs, shellfish, kiwi, dairy, etc., etc.,... and every last one of these things is a naturally occurring substance. In addition, people can develop an allergy to something at any time in their lives. In addition to the silicone allergy, I developed a shellfish allergy in the past three years. I had eaten shrimp my entire life, until one day I had a bunch of shellfish at one meal and ended up in the emergency room having convulsions. SO, please do not assume that just because an allergy is rare that it is impossible for you to have it. In addition, you could have an intolerance to silicone without truly being allergic... and it would still be worthwhile to avoid the substance if possible.
I also feel it is necessary to state that I am not being compensated for listing any products, I am just tired of doing constant research and trying to keep it straight as to which things are silicone-free and which aren't. This blog is as much a way for me to keep a running tab of what I've tried and liked versus tried and hated as it is to help anyone else. And, if one person other than me finds it helpful, then yay me! :)
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