Negative consequences of skin bleaching

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For years, Allison Ross rubbed in skin-lightening creams with names like Hyprogel and Fair & White. She said she wanted to even out and brighten the tone of her face, neck and hands. Mrs. Ross, 45, who lives in Brooklyn, also said that she used the lightening creams “to be more accepted in society.”

After months of twice-a-day applications, her skin was not only fairer, it had become so thin that a touch would bruise her face. Her capillaries became visible, and she developed stubborn acne. A doctor told her that all three were side effects of prescription-strength steroids in some of the creams, which she had bought over the counter in beauty supply stores.

“I never read the labels,” Mrs. Ross said. Instead, she took her cues from friends, many of them, like her, from the West Indies. “Once somebody told me Fair & White was the one they were using, I’d go to the Korean store and ask for it,” she said.

Dermatologists nationwide are seeing women of Hispanic and African descent, among others, with severe side effects like Mrs. Ross’s from the misuse of skin-lightening creams, many with prescription-strength ingredients, which are sold in beauty shops and bodegas and online.

Hyprogel, made in Germany, contains the powerful steroid clobetasol propionate and includes a warning to use only as directed by a doctor. Fair & White, from France, normally contains no steroids, but counterfeit versions with undisclosed ingredients have turned up in stores.

No major studies have focused on the use of such creams in this country. But dermatologists with practices that cater to darker-skinned women say adverse effects are on the rise. Ethnic beauty supply stores, where clerks often shrug at selling prescription creams over the counter, report that sales are strong.

Dr. Erin Gilbert, a chief resident in dermatology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, said that she or a colleague saw a case of severe side effects from skin-lightening creams at least once a week. Dr. Gilbert attributed the frequency, which she called surprising, to the fact that the hospital served an “amazingly international cross section of women of color.”

Users are not necessarily immigrants, said Dr. Eliot F. Battle Jr., who has a dermatology practice in Washington, where he treats side effects from lightening creams “not only containing corticosteroids, but mercury,” a poison that can damage the nervous system. The patients are “Ph.D.’s to women from corporate America, teachers to engineers — the entire broad spectrum of women of color,” Dr. Battle said.

For years misuse was on the decline, Dr. Battle said, but now “it’s happening more because the Internet has been a great source for these patients to get physician-strength or prescription-strength products.”

Some users are seeking to lighten dark spots caused by acne or brown patches known as melasma, which are triggered by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills.

But many others seek to lighten their entire face or large swatches of their body, a practice common in developing countries as disparate as Senegal, India and the Philippines, where it is promoted as a way to elevate one’s social standing. A small percentage of men in such countries also use the creams.

In November, some fans of Sammy Sosa, the former Chicago Cubs slugger, were surprised when photographs from the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony showed his face as uniformly lighter. Online critics accused him of wanting to be white. Mr. Sosa, a Dominican-born American citizen, told a reporter from ESPNDeportes.com that he had used a cream nightly to “soften” his skin and that it had bleached it, too. “I’m not a racist,” he said in the interview. “I live my life happily.”

Evelyn Nakano Glenn, a professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said it was wrong to assume that skin-lightening was a cultural anachronism or an effort to negate one’s racial heritage.

“In fact, it’s a growing practice and one that has been stimulated by the companies that produce these products,” she said. “Their advertisements connect happiness and success and romance with being lighter skinned.”

Moreover, it is not as if dark-skinned women are imagining a bias, said Dr. Glenn, who is president of the American Sociological Association. “Sociological studies have shown among African-Americans and also Latinos, there’s a clear connection between skin color and socioeconomic status. It’s not some fantasy. There is prejudice against dark-skinned people, especially women in the so-called marriage market.”

There was an echo of the issue recently in comments by the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, as reported in a new book, that he had urged Barack Obama to run for president because the country was ready to accept a “light skinned” African-American.

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Allison Ross used creams for years to lighten her skin. She developed several severe side effects. Credit Yana Paskova for The New York Times
In the aisles of ethnic beauty supply stores on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, dozens of skin lighteners are for sale, most manufactured abroad. Prescription creams with clobetasol propionate were available recently for as little as $3.99.

“Clobetasol is the most potent topical steroid we make in dermatology,” said Dr. Gilbert, who works nearby. “There’s almost no indication where you’d use it on the face. And it’s basically provided to people as cosmetic products. It’s illegal.”

A salesman at Blessing Beauty Supply, who would give only his first name, Monroe, said the secret to one best-selling cream, L’Abidjanaise, was that “it has steroids in it.” Asked why he sold prescription medications illegally, he declined to answer.

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, Rita Chappelle, would not say whether the agency was pursuing such violations. “As a matter of policy, we do not discuss enforcement actions,” Ms. Chappelle wrote in an e-mail message.

Long-term use of a whitening cream with topical steroids can lead to hypertension, elevated blood sugar and suppression of the body’s natural steroids, doctors said. Some side effects, like stretch marks, may be permanent.

Some doctors also identified hydroquinone as a culprit in misuse cases. At a strength of 4 percent or higher, it is prescribed for short-term use to lighten skin blemishes like sun spots. Over-the-counter versions like Fair & White contain 1.9 percent hydroquinone, but bootleg versions are being sold with 4 percent to 5 percent, said Dominique Tinkler, the manager of product development for Fair & White’s American distributor, the Mitchell Group.

“We see it in New York, Miami, Chicago,” Ms. Tinkler said. “I mean it’s everywhere now.”

One unusual side effect of misusing hydroquinone is a blue-black darkening of the skin. Dr. Battle said he never used to see such cases, but in the last five years his Washington practice had treated them monthly.

The food and drug agency has been considering a ban on over-the-counter sales of hydroquinone since 2006, and it is already banned in England and France.

Doctors said some consumers wrongly assumed that all ingredients were disclosed on labels.

“There’s a basic assumption that there’s some truth in labeling,” said Dr. David McDaniel, a dermatologist in Virginia Beach and a director of the Skin of Color Research Institute at Hampton University. “That’s a false assumption for the skin-lightening market.”

Mrs. Ross of Brooklyn, who described herself as a onetime “queen of bleaching creams,” is recovering now with the help of her dermatologist from Kings County Hospital Center.

“I went through a terrible depressed phase,” she said. “I wanted to go back to use the creams a couple of months back. I just decided to ride it out with my dermatologist.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/health/16skin.html?_r=0
 

John Michael

Free my girl Jodi!
VIP
Sad, I love how fashionable my mothers generation was. They used very minimal make up and had such lovely complexions.

Aesthetically the bleach look is not very pleasing but dark skin is made fun of so much. I can see why people feel the need to do it. Even on this board we got some major issues.

It's not surprising.

What the hell happened?
 
This story is about mother who her child was taken away because she used skin bleaching while she was breastfeeding.
Netherlands: Hooyo wiilkeeda ku waysay isticmaalka Daawooyinka la isku cadeeyo


(SHINN)-Gabar Soomali ah oo magaceeda iyo Magaalada ay ku nooshahay aanan soo bandhigaynin si aan u xafidno Marxaladaha u gaar ah, balse si guud aan u sheegayno in ay ka mid tahay gabdhah ku dhaqan Dalka Holland ayaa waxaa la soo gudboonaaday arrin mugdi galisay nolosheeda kadib markii wiil yar oo ay dhashay uu ka xanuunsaday, markii baaritaan lagu sameeyayna laga helay dhiigiisiisa Kiimiko halis ah oo jar jarta maqaarka jirka baniáadamka.


Dhaqaatiirta oo aad ula yaabay halka ay kiimikada ka soo raacday dhiiga wiilka ayaa ka shakiyay in ilmaha uu cunay qashin kiimikada ay la socotay maadaama uu yahay sanad iyo xoogaa jir hase ahaatee markii ay sii baareen ayay ogaadeen in caanaha naaska ay la socotay kiimikada iyagoo kadibna baaritaan kula dhaqaaqay gabadha dhashay wiilka oo jirkeeda ay ka heleen kiimikada oo xad dhaaf ah.


Gabadha ayaa waaga uu ku baryay markii ay ogaatay in ilmaheeda uu la xanuunsanayo daawo kiimika ah oo jirkeeda ka soo raacay, waxa ayna ogaatay in kiimikada jirkeeda u gudubtay ay tahay daawo ay ku cadeyso maqaarkeeda oo ay isticmaalaysay tan iyo 19 jirkeedii, hadana waa 24 jir.


Waxayna sheekada ku sii xumaatay kadib markii ay u imaadeen qolyaha caruurta ku shaqada leh oo u sheegay in dhaqaatiirta ay ku soo wargiliyeen in aysan sii hayn karin ama sii xanaaneyn karin wiilkeeda maadaama uu u baahan yahay xanaano dheeraad ah oo jirkiisa looga saarayo kiimikadda u raacday naaska ay nuujisay sidaas darteedna laga qaaday wiilkii sanad iyo xoogaa jirka ahaa.


Waxaa kaloo loo sheegay in dhaqtarka ay u tagto siiyo tallooyin la xiriira caafimaadka jirkeeda gaar ahaan maqaarka oo aad u jilcay ilaa heer uusan u dulqaadan karin hawada caadiga ama dabeysha xoogan ee mararka qaar dhacda.


Markii ay dhaqtarka u tagtayna waxa uu u sheegay in iyada xitaa ay u baahan tahay xanaano dheeri ah oo xiliyada isbadelka cimilada aysan ka soo bixin guriga ilaa ay ka dhamaysato daaweyn muddo qaadanayso oo xoogaa lagu xoojinaayo unugyada difaaca jirkeeda si adkeysi loogu yeelo maqaarkeeda.


Waxaa kaloo uu kula taliyay in dadka ay ku dhex jirto ay ka ilaaliso in ay qaadsiiso kiimikada jirkeeda ku jirta waayo waxaa jira nabro yar yar oo meelaha qaar jirkeeda ka soo baxay oo soo daynayo dheecaan kiimikada wata oo xitaa qof kale uu ka gaaro meel jirkiisa ka furan ay u gudbi karto sidaas darteedna ay masuuliyad iska saarto sidii ay u ilaalin laheyn nafteeda iyo nafta dadka kale ee u dhow dhow.

Waxaa sidoo kale uu ku baraarujiyay in daawooyinka ay isticmaashay ay yihiin kuwa aanan ka diiwaan gashneyn dalka oo mamnuuc ka ah sidaas darteedna ay qatar u keeni karto hadii Booliiska ay ku qabtaan.


Gabdha oo kaligeed ku noqotay guriga ay degan tahay ayaa waxaa halkaas ka soo waday gabdho kale oo Soomaali ah oo u cabsaday nolosheeda maadaama ay waysay cunigeeda odaygeedana uusan la joogin sidaas darteed hada waxa ay la joogtaa gabdhaha kale oo go,aan ku gaaray in sheekada ay baahiyaan si gabdhaha Soomaalida ee cadeeya midabkooda ay u ogaadaan qatarta ay keeni karto daawooyinka aanan dheeli tirneyn ee Maqaarka lagu cadeeyo.


Gabadha dhibka uu ku dhacay waa gabar ilaa xad wanaagsan diin ahaan dhaqan ahaanba, mana jiraan waxyaabo kale oo looga qaatay wiilkeeda marka laga reebo arintaan mucjisada ah ee sida lama filaanka ah ugu dhacday.


Dalka Nederland, waxa uu ka mid yahay dalalka Midowga Yurub ee mamnuuca ka ah isticmaalka daawooyinka la isku cadeeyo, iyadoo daawooyinka kiimikada dalka lagu soo geliyo si sharci daro ah, waxaana dhaqaatiirta ay ka digeen halist ay u keeni karto Caafimaada iyo Degaanka
http://shiniilenews.com/?p=10185
 
I always thought it was down to bad make up when I attended those mixed weddings, Somali women of all ages appearing pale and unnatural, so sad.
 
Sad, I love how fashionable my mothers generation was. They used very minimal make up and had such lovely complexions.

Aesthetically the bleach look is not very pleasing but dark skin is made fun of so much. I can see why people feel the need to do it. Even on this board we got some major issues.

It's not surprising.

What the hell happened?
You are right, girls who use skin bleaching will look beautiful for couple of months but when they stop using they will turn scary.
 
T

Tokio

Guest
the long term effect is certainly something to worry about, for example they can't take the sun light well siba people who live in dalkii..

it's easy to tell if a girl bleached herself..just look at her elbows, dem elbows don't lie :drakelaugh:
 
the long term effect is certainly something to worry about, for example they can't take the sun light well siba people who live in dalkii..

it's easy to tell if a girl bleached herself..just look at her elbows, dem elbows don't lie :drakelaugh:
Lol, what if she is wearing long sleeve shirt?
 
Most guys like light skinned girls. I think thats why some girls use sunta la isku cadeeyo. I don't know why somalis call it daawo when its harmful.

Nah it depends on the girl some dark skinned girls are :z1banet:. They just wanna be able to put team lightskin in their bios
 
N

NaomiHoney

Guest
I use to have a friend who hid the fact the she bleached herself.

She was adamant that she skin was naturally becoming later!! As if a layer of dead skin shredded of her face and got a kick of which foundation of ours were lighter.

In three months she when from a NW 50 to NC 45.
 
Fyi I think mareen is the loveliest complexion. Most somalis are this colour anyways.
True most somalis are mareen and that is a beautiful color. Its sad that many girls are putting toxic substance in their skin just to get little lighter. I heard about girl who die from skin bleaching in the US. This happened couple years ago. Someone who knew her told me about it.
 

Sultana

On Hiatus
It's a pretty recent phenomenon actually. Before the "maariin" colour was really popular, it's a reddish-brown skin tone (think like Gabrielle Union's skin tone).
 

Zuleikha

Ha igu daalinee dantaada raac
They stink too not because of hygiene reason but they have this weird odor as their skin is affected.
 

John Michael

Free my girl Jodi!
VIP
True most somalis are mareen and that is a beautiful color. Its sad that many girls are putting toxic substance in their skin just to get little lighter. I heard about girl who die from skin bleaching in the US. This happened couple years ago. Someone who knew her told me about it.

A somali girl?

:dwill:
Wow. I just thought about it and this is no different to plastic surgery (for non medical reasons). Wa haraam.
Some haram things are acceptable to us. Wa yaab.
 
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