FAIR AND LOVELY

Skin bleaching is a high-profile issue in regions with dark-skinned populations like India . A worrying number of women are ignoring health risks and are using skin whitening creams, Fair & Lovely being the most popular among them . But what they fail to notice is the potential risk of using these products .

. A number of tests have been conducted and they reveal the presence of hazardous substances in some skin whitening creams such as hydroquinone , mercury  etc. Mercury is a popularly used ingredient in these creams because it blocks melanin effectively and works out to be cheaper . The point to worry is that hydroquinone is actually a banned chemical and mercury is poisonous. Frequent use might also result in loss of original skin colour.

 Most of the skin lightening products contain strong steroids like cortico steroids. Marketers may claim that it gives  better and faster results but such products with steroids have the chances to suppress the body’s natural steroids so the eventually the person may end up with some other side effects like permanent stretch marks , pimples, darkening of the skin, skin-allergy etc

In fact, many of these 'cosmetics that look harmless , contain products which if absorbed in big quantities can prove fatal.  The principle that most creams use is in eliminating the melanin present in the skin. But melanin is the substance that gives the skin its colour and also protects it from harmful ultra-violet rays. So reducing the presence of melanin can cause skin cancer.
“Allen is a Professor of neurology and  neuro-psychology at Harvard University, he is also an expert on mercury effects. His research led him to surprising findings: by studying mercury poisoning, he discovered that women from regions as different and as far from one another as Mexico, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Tanzania, were showing similar symptoms of mercury poisoning. After further examinations, he found out about the common practice at the root of their health problem: the use of whitening creams.  “ -     

The irony of the story is that some users have complained that when they stopped applying the cream, their skin became darker than it was before starting the treatment.

Long term use of the product can cause a number of issues like diabetes, hypertension, acne, bone problems,  skin cancer, disturbance of the menstrual cycle, premature ageing of the skin, respiratory problems, pimples, and other skin infections. Obviously none of this is mentioned on the label. The reason for the side effects is because our skin absorbs this cream, after which it enters into the bloodstream, then it reaches the organs  and  thus creating hormonal disorders and other problems, just the way it would if you were consuming poison.

People who use of work with cosmetics may be flirting with danger.  “At the University of California, researchers studied 58,000 hairdressers, cosmetologists and manicurists and found they had four times the usual rate of multiple myeloma, a malignant bone tumour. “- Wikipedia

My view : If caste is less of a criterion for finding a life partner in contemporary India, fairness of the skin especially women's ,remains a sure value on the marriage market, sometimes even more prized than professional skills or wealth. Though this is a very wrong notion it is the ugly truth .This may explain why so much effort is invested by women to lighten their complexion. This situation is further worsened by flooding of the media by skin bleaching advertisements, leading to a sharp rise in the level of consumption. The advertisements, which clearly associate dark skin with romantic and professional failure, and fair skin with success, have to be taken off air and view of the public should change to have a safer better living because hiding behind these fairness tubes is a virtual toxic nightmare.