How to Stay Safe While Whitening Your Skin
Remember, what God gave you is beautiful! Whatever tone your completion may be, it is perfect! That being said, in Asia, fair skin is widely promoted as a beauty standard, so whitening products are big everywhere and some people even go to extreme lengths and pay hefty amounts of money just to have their skin lightened.
It’s scary because health concerns have been raised as the skin whitening trend continues. Risks of cancer and other skin conditions are brought to light after some whitening methods are introduced, such as skin bleaching. Doctors also enumerated ingredients that should be avoided in order to stay cancer-free while having your skin whitened.
So in hopes to help reduce the epidemic, let’s talk about how to stay safe while whitening your skin.
How Skin Whitening Works
Our skin has special cells called melanocytes, which is responsible for producing pigment, a.k.a melanin. If you have dark skin, it means your melanocytes produce more melanin compared to those of people with fair skin. In skin whitening or bleaching, this function of the melanocytes is blocked, reducing the amount of melanin they normally do, so that you’d have lighter skin in turn.
Safe Ingredients
If you wish to lighten your skin, only stick to products that use vitamin C, vitamin A, or vitamin B3 to reduce melanin production. These vitamins are safe blockers and you can find them in over-the-counter skin whitening toners and other topical products. Herb ingredients such as licorice and emblica, as well as fruit acids such as glycolic acid, are also safe for the skin and health.
Unsafe Ingredients
If you’re not careful when you shop, you may end up purchasing affordable but harmful products that increase your risk of developing cancer and other skin conditions. Every time you look for whitening products, always read their ingredients list, and avoid anything with the following:
- Hydroquinone
Only 2% or less hydroquinone content is considered safe. Anything above is toxic to the body, so it’s best to stay away from this ingredient.
- Mercury
Applying anything with mercury on your skin is one of the worst things you can do to your body. It’s a toxic metal that can cause kidney failure and problems to the nervous system.
- Steroids
Steroids thin your blood vessels and reduce blood flow, making your skin look paler and thus fairer. With prolonged use, complications may occur in blood pressure levels, blood sugar, and even in mental health.
- BHT or BHA
Butylated Hydroxytoluene andButylated Hydroxyanisole are proven to cause cancer in animals as per tests. If that’s the case, it’s best to steer clear of these ingredients.
- Dioxane
This is unregulated in most countries because of its toxicity, so stay away from dioxane as well.
- Fragrances
If you have sensitive skin, fragrances may give you allergic reactions such as irritation, itchiness, or inflammation, so it may be better to avoid them.
DIY Skin Whitening
If you’re super health-conscious but would still love to whiten your skin, you can try a DIY bleach formula. It only consists of pure lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide, but be extra careful when using them, because they may get in your eye and irritate it. If you have dark spots you wish to eliminate, safe home remedies include apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, and green tea extract, so opt for any of those.
Remember that all skin colors are beautiful, so even if you wish to lighten yours, keep in mind that your darker skin still makes you beautiful and it also deserves your love and praise. Lighter skin tones wish for darker tones, and vice versa. However, until we can remember to love the skin we’re in, be sure to treat your skin with care by using only products that are proven safe and effective.
Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.