Being comfortable in your colour is a show of confidence. It shows how much you believe in who you are without the need to alter anything. However, it is quite unfortunate that a lot of us ladies choose to pursue the skin lighting effort known as “Skin Bleaching” because we feel like becoming lighter in complexion is one of the only ways to look better.
We go over to the closest store around us, and we purchase creams with active ingredients like Hydroquinone, Kojic acid, and Mercury. This is not only harmful to the skin but also to your system. If you are considering bleaching, or you have already started the process, here are some of the numerous side effects of skin bleaching.
- Kidney Disorder
Does this seem right, you might ask? Well, it is as real as it gets, and if you want to bleach, you need to be ready to handle the consequences as well. This is the case because when you apply your bleaching cream of choice, you damage the blood vessels in the liver responsible for removing harmful substances from the body. How does this happen? These creams contain mercury which affects almost every system in the body, including the immune system, digestive system, and central nervous system. The liver is responsible for removing such harmful substances, and when you have an excess of this in your system, it damages the kidney.
- Exogenous Ochronosis (EO)
Exogenous ochronosis (EO) is a skin condition where certain parts of the body have blue-black colours – almost like the Avatar movie we watched years back. This occurs when we use bleaching creams that contain hydroquinone. This affects the entire skin and causes a lot of regrets in the end.
- Nephrotic Syndrome
Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disease which causes the body to push out an excessive amount of protein from the urine. It occurs as a result of mercury poisoning from bleaching creams which causes a lot of damage to the small blood vessels in the kidney when it tries to filter the mercury. Some of the symptoms include swollen ankles and feet, excessive exhaustion, loss of appetite and foamy urine.
- Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is a skin condition that is closely related to the use of bleaching creams. It is a sort of allergic reaction that occurs when your skin comes in contact with certain chemicals contained in bleaching creams. This is usually resolved when you avoid the use of these creams, but if you persist, it might lead to many other sin complications that could have been avoided in the first place.
- Steroid Acne
If your bleaching cream contains corticosteroids, then you are an automatic candidate for steroid acne. What is steroid acne in the first place? It is a special type of acne (blackhead or whitehead with pink which affects the chest region, elbows, arms, and even the butt. This acne is painful and can disturb your overall quality of life.
You are Amazing Just The Way You Are
The major reason why a lot of us women and even men engage in sin bleaching is that we do not believe in ourselves. We believe that bleaching can make us look better, but this makes no difference without confidence. You cannot eat your cake and have it; you either choose to look the way you do and remain healthy or bleach your skin and battle with the health consequences highlighted above. To improve your personal outlook, you can engage in healthy skin care activities which can help you look better just the way you are.
