Be comfortable in your own skin

Why skin-bleaching creams should be avoided at all costs?

Priyanka Mehta Wednesday 22nd January 2020 13:14 EST
 
 

Some fair-skinned people are developing a fake tan whilst some brown-complexioned women are increasingly using skin-lightening creams to achieve a lighter or whiter appearance. Such is the irony of following social media trends today where cultural preferences dictate fashion statements. Caught in this stranglehold are some dermatologists and skin specialists.

Clinicians are now concerned about the harmful side-effects of the consumption of these skin-lightening creams. Experts have now warned of the presence of bleaching agents such as hydroquinone and in some instances even mercury in some of these creams. Hydroquinone, often deemed as the biological equivalent of paint stripper, can remove the top layer of skin, and increase the risk of skin cancer. However, the Asian community continues to remain blindsided about these dire consequences in their fixation of achieving a “fairer” skin-tone.

“It is essential to understand that there is absolutely no safe way to lighten your skin beyond its natural colour.

"Many consumers feel encouraged to use increasing amounts of skin-lightening creams because the skin may initially appear to become whiter. However, once they step out in the sun, the skin starts darkening and turning into a greyish sooty appearance. Ultimately, the melanocytes which are responsible for protecting the skin from the ultraviolet radiation are destroyed and this in turn can permanently damage the skin than doing any good,” explains Sujata Jolly, Founder and Medical Director at Clinogen.

With over 40 years of experience working in the healthcare and dermatology industry, Sujata has worked alongside celebrity clients such as Michael Jackson and has long been campaigning against harmful skin-lightening ingredients.

Recently this industry seems to have penetrated the UK-market as well with a number of retailers, both online as well as at physical stores, selling such creams with high levels of hydroquinone at cheap prices. Now, banned by the Government owing to concerns around health standards, last year some Councils clamped down on the illegally imported skin-whitening creams. The London borough of Barking and Dagenham alongside the Southwark Council had recently seized hundreds of such products from cosmetic stores, most of which had been imported from Nigeria. The council had also secured what is understood to be the UK’s first jail sentence for the sale of dangerous skin-lightening products. This was one of nine guilty convictions secured by Southwark council, for the sale of toxic skin lighteners, since 2015. Now, some consumers are advised to consult skin-specialists with regards to the presence of such harmful ingredients in these creams and instead purchase high-quality and authentic lotions, strictly using them under medical supervision only.

However, Sujata prescribes against any kind of skin bleaching product. Instead, she recommends certain skin enrichment treatments for those who want to transform their dull complexion into a relatively more radiant and luminous skin texture. She says,

“Just because a doctor or medic has prescribed these creams does not necessarily mean that the negative impacts of the product can be ignored or averted. There are specific treatments such as Oxypeel that are available for post-acne pigmentation, inflammation around a spot or marks. But by using such skin-bleaching creams, one risks permanent skin damage and this must be avoided at all costs.”


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