What you should know about skin lightening/ bleaching

What you should know about skin lightening/ bleaching

Skin lightening is the use of chemicals to tone up the skin, change the colouration of one’s skin by lowering the level of melanin, which is responsible for our skin colour.

Side effects of skin lightening

-Most skin lightening creams are made of hydroquinone and mercury which lower the level of melanin in our skin thus causing severe exposure to uv rays. without melanin in our skin we have a higher risk of getting sun burns and with time the peeling of the skin causes wounds that might take a while to heal.

-The hydroquinone in most lightening creams causes an increase in appetite that leads to weight gain.

-It can also affect the bones in what is called osteoporosis leading to pathological injuries.

-The chemicals in these creams are deposited in one’s kidneys causing kidney failure.

– If a woman is pregnant at the time of using skin lightening creams, the elements in the cream can cause defects in the newborn child.

– For long time users, such creams can cause skin cancer or rashes that lead to hyper pigmentation or numerous black spots.

How to quit

For those already using these creams, quitting can be challenging. According to experts, do not stop abruptly, you need to gradually reduce usage then eventually quit.

skin lightening