Why Do Women Bleach? Here are 7 Bad Effects Of Bleaching

1) Skin Cancer
Skin whitening creams contain mainly 2 chemicals; Hydroquinone or Mercury. But, most creams sold in the market are a dangerous cocktail of compounds like steroids and tretinoin, alongside hydroquinone. These compounds have carcinogenic properties and long term use can lead to lethal health concerns like skin cancer and liver damage.

2) Hyperpigmentation
Using hydroquinone in doses higher than 2% or for periods longer than 3 months will lead to darkening of the skin (exogenous ochronosis) which is permanent and very resistant to further treatment. Over-usage of skin whitening products can also cause hyperpigmentation at the level of the fingers, toes, ears and other extremities, causing them to look darker and mismatched.

Another negative effect can develop known as the "Bleach Panda Effect". What happens here is that the skin around the eyes become thinned and have increased pigmentation, This is cute on a Panda but definitely not on a human.

3) Thinning of the Skin
Repeated use of skin whitening creams may cause thinning of the skin. This condition is characterised by severe bruising, exposed capillaries (capillaries/veins can easily be seen and are close to the skin), stretch marks and other serious skin problems.

4) Skin Healing Properties
Normal and undamaged skin has the ability to heal itself and regenerate skin cells through 4 processes: Haemostasis (blood clotting), Inflammation, Proliferation (growth of skin tissue) and Maturation (remodeling). When the skin is subjected to heavy and/or continuous doses of the chemicals in skin whitening creams, it looses its ability to heal. Hence, injuries, lesions or rashes are much difficult to treat.

5) Skin Irritations
The way hydroquinone works is it inhibits the enzyme reaction that causes the production of dark pigments (melanin). Unfortunately, hydroquinone is a fairly caustic substance which generally causes skin irritations like redness, peeling of the skin, rash, dryness and burning.

6) Worsening of Skin Infections
According to several studies, notably one conducted by the Department of Dermatology at the Institut d'Hygiène Sociale, Dakar - Senegal and published in the 2003 British Journal of Dermatology; people who suffer from skin diseases like acne, dermatitis and eczema are adversely affected by skin bleaching/whitening creams. The study also found that hydroquinone caused worsening or the introduction of skin diseases.

Furthermore, most skin whitening creams contain steroids which when used on acne (pimples) can block the pores and lead to the development of new acne.

7) Mercury Poisoning
One of the more serious risks of unsupervised and continuous use of skin whitening creams is Mercury Poison. According to the WHO, mercury poisoning can cause the following:

• Kidney damage
• Skin rashes
• Skin discoloration and scarring
• Reduction in skin's resistance to bacterial and fungal infections
• Anxiety, depression or psychosis and peripheral neuropathy (damage of peripheral nerves)
• Nephrotic syndrome (a condition marked by high levels of protein in urine)

• The aim of skin whitening in itself is quite logical and innocent. However, that is only if it is carried out under the supervision of an expert. Prolonged and unsupervised use of these mysteriously formulated creams will likely land you in more trouble than you bargained for.

  If you are just beginning the skin whitening process, I hope this post enlightens you on how much caution you should take.

  However, if you are already suffering from some side effects of using skin whitening creams, then not all hope is lost. The next posts will explain how you can reverse these side effects, get back to normal health and still get the even skin tone you desire.

  So, stick around for more info.

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