Lavender oil can make boys big breasts

Lavender and tea tree oils are found in some bath soaps, shampoo, hair gel and body lotion that can make boys' breasts bigger. This phenomenon has happened to 3 boys and when they are no longer used, the chest is normal.

This is an affirmation of Clifford Bloch and colleagues at the Pediatric Endocrinology Association in Colorado, USA. The researchers said that these oils may have the same effect as estrogen hormones in women.

Lavender (Photo: Trekearth)

According to them, the result raises a worrying problem because lavender and tea oils are sold everywhere in pure form as well as being used more and more in cosmetics, including shampoos and clogs. Hair, bath soap and body lotion.

"Whether these essential oils cause an endocrine disruption that is similar to that of pre-pubescent girls, girls or women is still unclear," the authors said.

Although boys often develop breasts temporarily when they reach puberty, the situation occurs in younger boys is extremely rare. Doctors call this phenomenon big in men and have yet to find the cause.

The team encountered three such cases in healthy boys of different ages: 4, 7, 10 years old.

In the case of a 4-year-old boy, his mother used to rub lavender oil on her chest and body every night because she saw in the book that the oil could cure the wound. A few months after the boy stopped using this fragrance, he returned to normal.

At the same time, Professor Bloch met a few other big cases due to the use of essential oils. Among them, there was a 10-year-old boy who used glue to make hair and shampoo containing both lavender essential oil and tea essential oil. Another 7-year-old boy also had trouble with ti using soap and lavender-scented cleanser.

In the laboratory, scientists from the US Environmental Health Science Institute found that both oils contain substances that have almost the same effect as estrogen hormones in women. They block male sex hormones, which shape male character and limit the growth of the breast.

But researchers from the US Environmental Health Science Institute and Professor Ken Korach are very cautious about the idea that essential oils can enlarge breasts.

"Although we find an association between these oils and the menopause in men, more research is needed to confirm that men who are prone to puberty are due to using products that contain Tea and lavender essential oils , " said Korach.

Thuy Minh