Here is something that haunts everyone of us. FAIRNESS. The admiration for the lighter skin tones always makes us the regular users of one or more fairness products. The 'lightening' and 'brightening' strategies used by most of the commercials and brands make us the 'fair' targets of these number one brands.
FACTS :
♥ The fairness creams block sun rays and prevent secretion of Melanin, which gives the dark colour to the skin. So in effect fairness cream reduce tan, prevent the skin from getting darker by preventing melanin secretion; but fairness creams cannot change a person’s natural skin color.
♥ Nothing can change that structure of melanin.
♥ Fairness creams can contain harmful bleaching agent such as hydroquinone, the percentage of which is between 3- 4%, but most of them do not mention the percentage of the chemicals on the packets which can cause skin allergy, cancer, kidney problem.
♥ Hydroquinone is a strong inhibitor of melanin production, meaning that it prevents skin from making the substance responsible for skin color. Hydroquinone does not bleach the skin but lightens it, and can only disrupt the synthesis and production of melanin hyperpigmentation. It has been banned in some countries (e.g. France) because of fears of a cancer risk.
♥ The obvious side-effect is thinning of the skin. Daily use of these creams leads to the skin losing its tightness and becoming thinner in return. Growth of acne is another harm that these creams cause to the skin.
♥ Elaborating further, most fairness cream consumers are unaware of the photosensitive reaction which these creams cause. Due to this the more exposed one is to the sun, worse one's skin condition becomes. This would mean anything from getting pink and red rashes – the degree of which would vary from person to person to sun burns, blisters, itchiness to burning sensation, each time the person steps out in the sun.Such a skin, that has become photosensitive, could also lead to one having problems if he went in for any kind of packs or massage treatments, for those oils or packs could further react on the skin.
♥ No matter how TRUSTABLE or BIG or POPULAR the brand is, it doesn’t make u fair. It jus repairs ur skins pigmentation TEMPORARILY.
♥ Nothing can change that structure of melanin.
♥ Fairness creams can contain harmful bleaching agent such as hydroquinone, the percentage of which is between 3- 4%, but most of them do not mention the percentage of the chemicals on the packets which can cause skin allergy, cancer, kidney problem.
♥ Hydroquinone is a strong inhibitor of melanin production, meaning that it prevents skin from making the substance responsible for skin color. Hydroquinone does not bleach the skin but lightens it, and can only disrupt the synthesis and production of melanin hyperpigmentation. It has been banned in some countries (e.g. France) because of fears of a cancer risk.
♥ The obvious side-effect is thinning of the skin. Daily use of these creams leads to the skin losing its tightness and becoming thinner in return. Growth of acne is another harm that these creams cause to the skin.
♥ Elaborating further, most fairness cream consumers are unaware of the photosensitive reaction which these creams cause. Due to this the more exposed one is to the sun, worse one's skin condition becomes. This would mean anything from getting pink and red rashes – the degree of which would vary from person to person to sun burns, blisters, itchiness to burning sensation, each time the person steps out in the sun.Such a skin, that has become photosensitive, could also lead to one having problems if he went in for any kind of packs or massage treatments, for those oils or packs could further react on the skin.
♥ No matter how TRUSTABLE or BIG or POPULAR the brand is, it doesn’t make u fair. It jus repairs ur skins pigmentation TEMPORARILY.
MYTHS :
♥ Whitening/Fairness creams make u FAIR : All fairness creams or skin whitening creams are effective only if the pigment is in the epidermis (epidermis is the outer layers of the skin). If the pigment is deeper, the product cannot help or make changes. Thus, fairness cream can help remove a tan or discoloration due to some pigment in the top layer of the skin. It cannot make a dark person fair.
♥ Manufacturers list all their ingredients on the product label:This is not true. Manufacturers are not required by law to mention all the ingredients on the product label.
♥ Fair skin is better than dark skin: Medically, dark skin is believed to be less vulnerable to skin diseases than light skin. More melanin in dark skins provides protection from the sun and, in turn, disease. Light skin contains less melanin and thus less protection.
♥ Ayurvedic or herbal fairness creams have no chemicals: This is a myth. Only home remedies for fairness can be free of chemicals. All commercial products have chemical bases that give them the texture and consistency and preservatives that prevent them from going bad.
♥ Herbal ingredients have no side effects: A person can be allergic to plant based herbal ingredients also. It is advisable that they apply the cream to a small area on their hands before using them.
So now u might be saying “what nonsense? I’ve been using this XYZ cream since a long time now and it worked great and I never had any side effects”….well, there might be two reasons for this.
1. U might have ur pigments in ur epidermis. Hence this XYZ has worked on ur skin, just avoiding further damage to ur skin from the UV rays thus stopping melanin secretion and tanning. IT HAS NOT IMPROVED UR COMPLEXION which u were actually thinking of. But, this change is TEMPORARY.
2. If this cream has been advised by your dermatologist, well then this is safe to use, depending on the prescription ur doc gave.
Having said all the facts and myths about whitening/fairness creams, I jus want everyone to spread this to ur dear ones. A good sunscreen and a good moisturizer and exfoliating regularly is more than a routine to keep ur skin healthy externally, provided u have a good diet internally.
Whatever the complexion u have, jus be happy with it. Infact, BROWN IS BEAUTIFUL. Take care of the skin naturally (homemade). Natural beauty stays long. Do Not waste ur money on such creams and spoil ur skin furthur. Donot fall for the words of any beautician at the malls/stores/parlors/salons etc. I know they tempt u sooo much. Jus deny them with a smile and u are jus saving ur skin from a great danger. After all,they jus want to sell their product and this is business to them. Don’t let ur skin become a slave to such business tactics.
Isnt it weird how brown ppl run after these whitening creams while the fair ones spend a fortune to get tanned??? Nomatter how u are, carrying urself confidently is one big factor that adds beauty...naturally :)
Isnt it weird how brown ppl run after these whitening creams while the fair ones spend a fortune to get tanned??? Nomatter how u are, carrying urself confidently is one big factor that adds beauty...naturally :)
BEING BEAUTIFUL IS NOT HAVING FAIR SKIN BUT HAVING HEALTHY CLEAR SKIN.
Take care,
~ ♥ Shilpa
