What's that, you say? You thought gynecomastia only affected readers of the back pages of New York Magazine? Think again, my testosteronal friend.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine links topically applied tea tree oil and lavender oil to several cases of prepubertal gynecomastia. Boys with breasts. 4, 7, and 10-year-old boys with breasts.
All had been using body products and lotions containing lavender and tea-tree oils. The enlarged breast tissue returned to normal several months after the products were discontinued.
Reports lab chief Dr Ken Korach at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science, "The results of our laboratory studies confirm that pure lavender and tea tree oils can mimic the actions of estrogens and inhibit the effects of androgens," said Korach. "This combinatorial activity makes them somewhat unique as endocrine disruptors."
Every California Baby product we have has Tea Tree and Lavender in it, including the Tea Tree and Lavender Shampoo & Bodywash. If the kid weren't already a girl, she'd have a 3-in-20-million chance of getting turned into on by her shampoo. Scary.
Lavender and Tea Tree Oils May Cause Breast Growth in Boys [sciencedaily via dethroner]
