One cannot talk about skin care without touching on skin bleaching. In simple terms, skin bleaching is the process of using natural or synthetic products to lighten skin tone or to reduce dark patches on skin. Although not desirable, there are a lot of creams, soaps, pills and concoctions a lot of people use to achieve an overall lighter complexion.
How does it work?
People use different techniques to achieve their desired results. The common ones include
- Lotions, creams and pills
- Chemical peeling
- Hydroquinone
- Microdermabrasion
- Use of laser treatment
Apart from a heightened sense of self-esteem for a short period, skin bleaching is not known to have any health benefits. For the most part, skin bleaching creams and lotions reduce the melanin in the skin which results in a lighter skin tone. Its side effects for the skin and health in general, are many.
Dermatitis
Simply put, it refers to inflammation of the skin due to its contact with some harmful substances. Dermatitis usually manifests in the form of hives, blisters, darkened patches, skin ulcers, dry flaky skin, swelling tender skin and many more.
Mercury poisoning
One runs the risk of being poisoned by mercury, which is found in some skin lightening products. Mercury is known and proven to be one of the causes of kidney and lung damage. This mostly happens after being exposed to it for a long period of time.
Other known side effects of skin bleaching include;
- Skin thinning
- Nerve damage
- Skin darkening over time
- Appearance of blood vessels on skin surface
- Swelling
- Steroid acne (if products used contain steroids)
- High blood pressure
- Heightened risk of skin cancers
- Irritability and memory loss (in certain circumstances)
The free will to do a lot of things comes with its own side effects. Essentially, prioritize your health before any cosmetic procedure, especially one that comes with a lot of known and proven health risks.
For further consultation on skin care, please do not hesitate to contact Kaydua Luxury on +233 596 050 073 or @kaydualuxury via Facebook and Instagram.
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