Dear Editor,
The cosmetic industry generates global revenue of more than US$250 billion (Bloomberg, 2014) trading in products for both men and women.
Cosmetic creams which can bleach the melanin from the skin and make us fairer are commonly used by people of colour in our local market as well as in North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Academic literature links the use of these skin-lightening creams with low self-esteem and self-hate. However, people may use these creams in the pursuit of fair treatment in a world which treats people with lighter skin differently.
Skin-bleaching creams are popular in Jamaica, and with the recent introduction of skin whitening injections, that method will, no doubt, soon gain popularity.
We can debate if the use of skin-lightening creams is right or wrong, and talk much about the role of media in projecting beauty standards. However, from winning beauty pageants to securing a decent job, skin tone will have its say.
I seek not to judge the users of these skin-lightening creams but to educate them as these products obstruct the production of melanin which protects our skin from the cancer-causing ultraviolet rays of the sun. All people have melanin in their skin; the more melanin present, the darker the skin. The cream works by increasing mercury parts per million (ppm), thus making skin colour lighter.
Excessive exposure to mercury causes wrinkles, causes acne and marks which may be irreversible after prolonged use. Research suggests that these creams can have 7,000 to 28,000 parts per million (ppm) mercury, whereas the allowable limit by international health standards for healthy skin is only one ppm mercury.
It is our job to educate our public, especially our young girls, to be wary of mercury in these whitening creams so as to safeguard the health of their skin.
Tashfeen Ahmad
Old Hope Road, St Andrew
mrtashfeen@hotmail.com
Skin bleachers must beware mercury exposure
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The cosmetic industry generates global revenue of more than US$250 billion (Bloomberg, 2014) trading in products for both men and women.
Cosmetic creams which can bleach the melanin from the skin and make us fairer are commonly used by people of colour in our local market as well as in North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Academic literature links the use of these skin-lightening creams with low self-esteem and self-hate. However, people may use these creams in the pursuit of fair treatment in a world which treats people with lighter skin differently.
Skin-bleaching creams are popular in Jamaica, and with the recent introduction of skin whitening injections, that method will, no doubt, soon gain popularity.
We can debate if the use of skin-lightening creams is right or wrong, and talk much about the role of media in projecting beauty standards. However, from winning beauty pageants to securing a decent job, skin tone will have its say.
I seek not to judge the users of these skin-lightening creams but to educate them as these products obstruct the production of melanin which protects our skin from the cancer-causing ultraviolet rays of the sun. All people have melanin in their skin; the more melanin present, the darker the skin. The cream works by increasing mercury parts per million (ppm), thus making skin colour lighter.
Excessive exposure to mercury causes wrinkles, causes acne and marks which may be irreversible after prolonged use. Research suggests that these creams can have 7,000 to 28,000 parts per million (ppm) mercury, whereas the allowable limit by international health standards for healthy skin is only one ppm mercury.
It is our job to educate our public, especially our young girls, to be wary of mercury in these whitening creams so as to safeguard the health of their skin.
Tashfeen Ahmad
Old Hope Road, St Andrew
mrtashfeen@hotmail.com
Skin bleachers must beware mercury exposure
-->