Dermatologists across asia offer skin whitening creams, pills, injections, laser treatments, etc, at hefty prices and consumers desperate for lighter skin on a small. Skin bleaching is one of the most controversial beauty practices around the world, a multimillion dollar industry in india and across the african continent and elsewhere. What are the benefits and drawbacks of skin bleaching. Pdf skin bleaching and its negative effects on the. The piece centred on skin bleaching ingredients, bleaching creams, causes of bleaching, and the adverse effects of bleaching. Skin whitening has been in practice around the world with asia as the largest market. In addition to hair on the upper lip and chin, many women also bleach arm and chest. Skin bleaching essay example free essays, term papers. Skin bleaching is a widespread phenomenon in spite of their potentially toxic health effects. Skin bleaching term paper free college essays, term. One such ingredient is hydroquinone, a depigmenting agent. Bleaching for beauty introduction to sociology, 1804 dr. The chlorine added to some cream cause a worsening in some skin. Dangers of skin bleaching and lightening why skin color exists in various shades is a trivial matter.
Skin bleaching is the changing of the skin colour of the human being from dark to fair with the use of items like. The harmful effects of skin whitening creams september 26, 2006 cant help it but overheard 2 ladies in the airport lounge while on the way to manila for a lecture yesterday talking about how her skin. After stopping skin bleaching hydroquinone, some of the color change may come back. Tell all of your health care providers that you take skin bleaching hydroquinone. Mercury and hydroquinone content of skin toning creams and. Skin lightening has ended many lives, yet people are still lightening their skins because of the feeling of low selfesteem.
Max orezzoli november 21, 2011 skin bleaching is defined as a practice of using chemical substances in attempt to lighten skin tone or provide an even skin complexion by lessening the concentration of melanin. Lack of data on skin whitening sw among cameroonian female university students prompted us to undertake the present study which aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, practices and motivations of female university students visavis sw. In fact, skin bleaching can be very detrimental to ones health and wellbeing. The petition asked amazon to remove skin bleaching products high in mercury from its online platform. This is a very dangerous chemical metal found in the skin lightening creams. Stop using hydroquinone and tell your doctor right away if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur. If you have a sulfite allergy, talk with your doctor. Skin lightening procedures work by reducing the concentration or production of melanin in the skin. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Bleaching offers an inexpensive and less painful alternative to waxing or hair removal. Harmful effects of chemical skin bleaching and some safer. Sekwon kim, ratih pangestuti, in advances in food and nutrition research, 2011.
This condition is characterised by severe bruising, exposed capillaries capillariesveins can easily be seen and are close to the skin, stretch marks and other serious skin problems. Paying a high price for skin bleaching africa renewal. An abnormally high levels of mercury in the body can lead to irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, numbness, tingling in the hands, feet and lips. Most contemporary skin bleaching creams contain ingredients that inhibit the production of melanin, a body chemical that darkens skin. Skin whitening among cameroonian female university. Skin bleaching is a social issue faced by many jamaicans. An abnormally high levels of mercury in the body can lead to irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, numbness, tingling in. Some of the causes of skin discoloration are sun damage, hormonal changes, aging, and genetics. Bleaching which cause a material or something lighter, can also cause some harm skin infection to the body, those who suffers from skin diseases like acne, dermatitis and eczema were as a result of bleaching creams. Skin bleaching is used to treat discoloration of the skin, without changing skin color. The items which violated the sites guidelines were pulled a week after the delivery. Mecury can damage the kidneys and the nervous system.
This technique indicates no chlorine or chlorine compounds were used as bleaching agents in the wood pulp bleaching process. This report is concerned with effects on the black community and sets out to. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of skin bleaching are. Repeated use of skin whitening creams may cause thinning of the skin. Skin bleaching for instance, which is commonly used amongst the black community, considerably, african women as well as jamaicans is used to whiten or bleach the melanin, the crucial determining factor of the color of the skin. The world health organization who stated that nigerian women are the highest users of skin lightening products in the world, as about 77% of nigerian women buy and use these products. Several chemicals have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, while some have proven to be toxic or have questionable safety profiles. Our dear friend scarlett newman is back, this time to discuss one of the worlds most distressing beauty extremes. Continuous application of skin bleaching creams can cause skin cancer or acne, or lead the skin to lose its elasticity, meaning skin with more wrinkles charles, 2003. The problem is widespread in the, african, america, caribbean asia and globally. But whatever label is used, it remains a pernicious, internalised form of racism which involves prejudice, stereotyping and perceptions of beauty among members of the same racial group, whereby light skin is more highly valued than dark skin. Its usually used to improve the appearance of blemishes such as birthmarks and dark patches melasma. Not much is known though about the long term effects many skin lightening ingredients can cause, so further research is necessary to better understand the longitudinal effects.
Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away. Skin bleaching, lightening or whitening product sales have greatly increased over recent years. Gentrification is another issue that requires social scientific. Selfesteem, racial selfesteem, and black identity transactions article pdf available january 2010 with 14,155 reads how we measure reads. Facts about the use of bleaching agents in tissue and. Conducting a social scientific research will help to answer the question of why africans are prone to skin bleaching, ways to inform the people about the effects of skin bleaching and skin bleaching recovery. The terms skin whitening, skin lightening, and skin bleaching covers a variety of cosmetic methods used in an attempt to whiten or lighten the skin. Over the past few years, there have been many studies into skin bleaching, and this has led to the development of safer skin bleaching agents. It is inexpensive and effective at killing germs when used properly. Skin whitening, also known as skin lightening and skin bleaching, refers to the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. The preliminary results suggest that there are varied reasons for skin bleaching and there is a range of black identities as each person constructs his or her identity in a multicultural society. If you come into contact with bleach on your skin or in your eyes, be aware of how to safely remove it. Bleach can harm your lungs and absorb into your skin.
The bleaching process refers to removal of freckles, skin aging spots, scarring, or uneven skin tone. Skin can also smell after many years of use of skin bleaching creams. A toolkit for early care and education fact sheet what s the problem with bleach. What are the harmful effects of bleaching on the skin. Ghana is a tropical country where the weather is very warm. New tissue mills continue to incorporate ecf bleaching, as tcf has not. Blacks where seen as inferior amongst whites and thought that bleaching the skin would allow them to be just as worthy as people of lighter complexion. While every woman has the right to make choices about her appearance and cosmetically alter herself, we must stop and ask why in 2015 woman of color are turning to products to make their skin whiter. Did you know that, indulgence in skin bleaching over a long period can expose one to diseases such as glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes and kidney ma. Bleaching is the process using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten skin tone or provide an even skin complexion by lessening the concentration of melanin. Some time ago, nigeria was declared the world capital of skin bleaching. The two groups have almost the same average scores above the median, which indicates that skin bleaching did not occur because of low selfesteem. Objectives this study aimed to determine if such products are used in sweden in particular by pregnant women, furthermore to explore immigrant womens view skin bleaching.
Skin lightening, or skin bleaching, is a cosmetic procedure that aims to lighten dark areas of skin or achieve a generally paler skin tone. Bleaching increases the bodys exposure to sunlight and the chance of getting skin damage and skin cancer. Many women use bleaching creams and solutions to lighten their facial hair. The concept behind skin bleaching is to acquire a better, smoother and lighter skin complexion, however, studies have. As much asian female preferred more fair skin tone, skin whitening product has become and continues to be the best selling skin care products in asia wang et al. Many african women want to keep their skin toned and beautiful by indulging in skin care products that bleach the skin. It is now known that chemical bleaching can lead to serious skin and health conditions which include. This topic has done justice to skin bleaching or skin whitening as some people named it. The epidemic started several years ago due to racism. It is used by only about 3 percent of worldwide pulp production. Bleach sodium hypochlorite is the most commonly used disinfectant in early care and education ece. Despite the growing body of research identifying the harmful effects of skin bleaching, this topic has received little attention in the field of public health. Potent topical steroids, like betamethasone and clobetasol, which may cause grave side effects.
It is important to note that colourism, the term the. The shocking cancer effects of skin bleaching the point. Skin lightening or whitening is extremely controversial topic as it is closely intertwined with the detrimental effects on health, identity, selfimage, racier supremacy and colonial mentality. The darker side of skin bleaching part 2 jamaica gleaner.
Skin bleaching, selfhate, and black identity in jamaica. Skin bleaching is the use of creams, gels, or soaps to lighten the skin and is known to cause a number of injuries, many of which are potentially lifethreatening. Most of these bleaching cosmetic products contain different kinds of harmful chemicals such as hydroquinone, mercury, kojic acid and vitamin c, which can affect their health amponsah et al. Driven by the worlds obsession with lighter skin tones, skin bleaching is now a popular trend among africans, african diaspora, asians and south americans. Skin lightening products also known as bleaching creams, whiteners, skin brighteners, or fading creams work by reducing a pigment called melanin in the skin.
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