No doubt, skin bleaching is one of the most popular treatments used by women of colour to obtain a more even skin tone. It is also used to lighten sun damage and age spots on the skin in people of all skin colours. Skin bleaching creams are used to make scars or marks on the skin less obvious, and just a small size should be applied to the altered section or part. However, most of the skin bleaching creams are not free from side effects; they contain vital ingredients that can be harmful to the skin.
Skin bleaching refers to the process of using chemical substances, mixtures, or physical treatments to whitening skin color and even skin complexion by reducing the amount and level of melanin in the skin. Many lightening agents have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, however the most popular are hydroquinone, mercury, steroids and cortisone. The most interesting thing is that even though most of this harmful agents have been banned in Europe and some other parts of the world, ladies still find a way to get this into their beauty cabinets and ignore the consequences.
The use of these chemicals and lightening agents to bleach the skin are noted to have a long lasting dangerous effect on the skin and even the well-being on a whole. Some of the side effects could be noticeable immediately while others are not obvious instantly but arises as a result of prolonged usage of these chemicals over a period of time.
Therefore, if for any reason you have to reduce spots, marks etc, it’s advisable to use natural remedies which are safe and do not have any side effect. BEBE AFRIKANA presents to you some of the side effects of using skin bleaching agents.
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SKIN CANCER
I know this might sound cliché, but skin bleaching creams are responsible for most of the skin cancer we seen or experienced in recent time. This is because individuals’ that bleach their skin colour have lost the privilege of melanin protection and consequently expose themselves to cancer. Melanin pigment of the black skin protects against the harmful carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun and this explains why black people have a lower risk of skin cancer than the whites. Also, the mercury content of many bleaching creams has also been shown to be carcinogenic.
DRYNESS, REDNESS AND BURNING
Bleaching cream is made up of ingredients such as hydroquinone, mercury etc, that are able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action. Some of the side effect of these skin bleaching agents after application include redness, peeling, a rash, dryness and burning.
PREMATURE AGEING
Skin bleaching agents such as hydroquinone and mercury operate by obstructing melanin production by the basal layer of the epidermis of the skin. Since melanin is the primary determinant of skin colour, the effect of this obstruction is to transform the skin to a lighter shade. When these creams are used continuously on the skin, after a while, these chemicals become oxidized and cause unpleasant pigmentations on the skin after interacting with ultraviolet rays. In addition, hydroquinone may alter the collagen fibres which is part of the connective tissue of the skin and the result is a blotchy, wrinkled skin.
IMPAIRED HEALING & PRONESS TO SKIN INJURIES
The prolonged use of skin bleaching cream can lead to an impaired skin which has a lower ability to heal when affected by a rash, injury or lesion. Prolonged use of these lightening agents can also cause the skin to become shrunken, degenerate and dry up. When this happens, the skin thickness is reduced noticeably. Trust me, this is a very ugly sight you don’t want on your skin.
INCREASED SKIN DISEASE
Studies have reveals that increases in skin diseases like eczema, dermatitis, acne etc can be linked to the side effect of prolonged use of skin bleaching cream; with hydroquinone been a major culprit. More and more women now have aggravated skin disease as a result of introducing this chemical agent to their skin. This could also lead to uneven skin tone which could make your age spots appear to be worse, or cause some of your skin to remain darker than other areas.
DAMAGED TO INTERNAL ORGANS
Prolonged use of skin-lightening creams are also not favourable for your internal organs most importantly your kidneys, liver and brain. For instance, heavy metals including mercury are important causes of kidney injury and failure. In large doses, the liver and brain may not be spared as well.
MERCURY POISONING
Skin bleaching cream contains high levels of mercury, which means that you are setting yourself up for mercury poisoning. This can arise as a result of mercury inhalation, injection, ingestion or absorption through the skin. The bad news is that mercury poisoning has some fatal effects on the brain that are quite difficult to reverse such as tremors, ataxia (loss of balance or coordination), dysarthria (inability to articulate words) and numbness or tingling sensation on the extremities.