Safety of Skin Lightening Creams
Skin Lighteners—Are they Safe?
The market place is full of skin lightening products that contain dangerous and potentially harmful chemicals like Hydroquinone and Mercury. Products contain those ingredients have been banned in some countries because of potential health risks. I strongly suggest avoiding those ingredients. If you must use Hydroquinone use a product with 2% or less for safety and this should also be supervised by a physician. Under no circumstances should you use any lightener that has Mercury. Mercury is very poisonous to the human body.
The safe ingredients that are used are Alpha and Beta Arbutin, Gigawhite, Kojic Acid, Azaelaic Acid, and Glutathione. These naturally occurring substances are the most effective and therefore are most commonly used.
The Dangers of Hydroquinone
While there are many skin lightening products to choose from, most people tend to use a topical, over-the-counter skin bleaching product. Typically these products contain one main ingredient: Hydroquinone. While the United Stated still allows products that contain Hydroquinone to be sold legally, most industrialized countries including the United Kingdom, France, and Japan have completely banned the sale of all products containing Hydroquinone. This trend is sure to continue as more and more countries begin realizing the inherent dangers of using Hydroquinone.
In fact, some recent studies have shown a link between using Hydroquinone and the development of cancer in addition to a variety of other potential medical problems.
Fortunately, many reputable skin lightening, skin whitening, and skin bleaching products are effective and do not have to rely upon using Hydroquinone as their main ingredient. This is just one reason that you need to be sure to read the list of ingredients for any skin lightening product you want to buy.
Conclusion
Some of the typical reasons people buy skin lightening products are to reduce the appearance of scars, moles, freckles, sun spots, and hyperpigmented areas of the skin. Additionally, there has been a recent trend in intimate area lightening. This includes anal bleaching, vaginal bleaching, underarm bleaching and nipple bleaching.
If you plan to lighten any area of your body, read the ingredient list carefully, and never choose a product that does not list its ingredients. These products either have something to hide or have a very weak list of ingredients. Additionally, you may be allergic to one of the ingredients and should therefore only trust companies that are upfront about their products.
Be sure to follow the directions carefully. This is because you may experience some minor discomfort when trying to lighten your skin. While minor irritation should be expected, especially after you initially apply the treatment, any prolonged irritation or discomfort should cause you to discontinue use of the product.
