The people of Pakistan are suffering from the negative mentality of considering dark skin tone as a negative thing and cosmetic companies have benefited from it the most by making and selling skin whitening creams. It is about time to talk about the many side effects of whitening creams with no apparent benefit of using them.
Fairness creams have become every household entity in Pakistan. Millions of dollars are invested in cosmetic companies to make new beauty whitening creams. Unfortunately, these creams are not only harmful, but rather damaging to the skin. These creams contain hydroquinone, steroids, and tretinoin. One of the most common side effects of applying them is skin pigmentation that may permanently damage the skin. They may cause other major health problems like skin cancer, mercury poisoning, and liver damage.
Almost all such creams carry the labels which are extensively advertised to make them attractive and display them as extremely charming to allure a dark skinned person. Many get attracted and end up buying those creams with a desire to make their skin white, glowing and lovely. They use terms like “anti-dark spot”, “instant glow”, “have white skin in 7 days”, “anti-oiliness effect”, “anti-shine effect”, “anti-pollution” and “anti-UVB” among many other labels.
Using whitening creams for making skin fair has been so much normalized that people blindly believe in the brands and they buy every new product that their favorite brand launches. Society plays a major role in pushing a dark skin person to start using them. After facing too much discrimination from society, they are compelled to start using these creams.
At the very start, these creams give them satisfaction. Their skin starts looking clean and clear but after using them for years the phase of their skin damage starts with no apparent improvement. Pores and marks start getting visible on their skin and these pores take the place of simple pimples and become quite apparent. Itching is another factor. For damage control, ladies start to apply more makeup to hide the permanent pigmentation.
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Too much negativity by friends, family members, and social media makes a dark skinned depressed and sad. They feel neglected and ignored by society. They are made to believe that to get success in life, to get settled and to find a job they must have fair skin. Girls of darker skin tone do all these efforts to become fair skin toned like the snow-white lady that appears on whitening soaps and whitening creams advertisements. These girls try to get fit into the criteria of a perfect “BAHU”.
But as the famous saying is that, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”, it is the time to embrace all the neglected people of society. It is our collective responsibility to end this discrimination based on skin color. These thoughts have destroyed many people’s lives and are the real hurdle in the marriage of young girls who are dark skin toned. The woke junta on social media must increase their efforts to highlight the side effects of whitening creams and name and shame the companies who are shamelessly selling their beauty creams as skin whitening creams when that is never the case.
Skin Bleaching Products
Steroid acne can be brought on by skin bleaching products that contain corticosteroids. Apart from chest, the back, arms, and other areas of the body can also develop steroid acne with prolonged corticosteroid use.
Some symptoms include:
◉ Blackheads and whiteheads
◉ Small red patches
◉ Severe, aching red bumps
◉ Acne scars
In conclusion, skin creams can be applied to specific dark spots or to lighten the entire body of skin. For certain skin problems, including melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, they may be recommended. These creams and lotions however, may have harmful side effects. Exogenous ochronosis, a condition that results in the skin turning black and blue, can be brought on by those who have hydroquinone. Some skin-lightening products may include mercury, which can cause mercury poisoning or nephrotic syndrome, a kidney ailment.
