Lavender, Tee Tree Oil, and Boobs on Boys

I recently had to take my ten year old son’s treasured stuffed animal “Lavender Buns” away from him. I’m having his lavender taken out, having him laundered, and refilling him with mint and chamomile- a full lavenectomy.  For the moment, my son is a mess. How do you explain to your son that his treasured friend and lifelong security blanket may block his androgens and make him grow boobs?

A patient of mine brought this to my attention several weeks ago.  Her child, a nine year old male began to show signs of  prepubertal gynecomastia (breast growth in prepubescent males.)  Gynecomastia is generally attributed to conditions that disrupt sex-steroid signaling pathways, resulting in increased or unopposed estrogen action on breast tissue.   When she brought her son to her primary care physician, the first question that he asked was “Does you son have contact with lavender or tee tree oils?”  This seemed like an odd way to begin the history until she saw a hormonal specialist who began the history with the very same query.

The reason for their concern is an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine which documents three cases of young males ages 4-10 years who presented with acute onset gynecomastia.  All three had normal hormone levels and no genetic links to hormone imbalances so environmental factors were suspected.  All three were using shampoos or soaps that contain both lavender and tee tree oil.   In all three cases, all signs and symptoms of gynecomastia resolved within months of removing the soaps and salves with lavender and tee tree oil as active ingredients.

These somewhat anecdotal findings prompted the researches to conduct an in vitro study isolating lavender and tee tree oils with certain cells with receptors for estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity.  Their isolated study confirmed that lavender and tee tree oil exhibit characteristics that contribute to an imbalance in estrogen and androgen pathway signaling.

Conclusion/ What to do:

Do as I did. Find a crafty friend to re-stuff your kid’s lavender pillows/pets.  The soap and shampoo issue can be trickier.  Lavender is everywhere.  Almost all kids’ shampoos and soaps use lavender as an active ingredient.  This logically points out the fact that everyone who contacts lavender is not susceptible to estrogenic effects.  We found a product called Yes To Carrots.  It’s easy enough to find on Amazon, or in local stores in the skincare and shampoo sections.

The Buns