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Beyond the Pale

Hydroquinone, widely used in skin lightening creams, is soon to be banned altogether. Prisca McGuire looks into the alternatives.








Poisoning, convulsions, asthma, leukaemia, liver damage, anaphylactic shock and infertility are not conditions normally associated with cosmetics. However, prolonged use of certain cosmetic creams, which contain bleaching agents, has been linked with all of the above.
In recent years, despite rigorous campaigning to raise awareness about the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun, the serious health risks which can arise from using unregulated bleaching creams has received little or no attention.

Why bleach?
Black skin renews itself quickly, rapidly producing new skin cells, this ability for regeneration keep our skin’s looking younger for longer. Whenever Black skin is damaged or traumatised, it produces an excess of melanin in the area. This hyper-pigmentation can result in a humble spot or cut producing a dark patch where it is healed. Skin bleaches are often used in an attempt to even out skin tone or remove dark patches caused by injury. However, in some sections of the society, particularly in African communities, skin bleaches are used to lighten the skin in the misguided belief that a lighter complexion is better.

The production of the most commonly used bleaching agent, hydroquinone (chemical formula C6H6O2), came about by accident, after Black workers in a rubber plant found that when a certain chemical came into contact with their skin it caused light patches of skin. The workers sued for damages as a result of their injuries, but their 'discovery' led to the commercial production of cosmetic creams containing hydroquinone as a bleaching agent.

Hydroquinone is a very powerful chemical that it used as the key ingredient in the photographic process of development, but is also used in the rubber industry as an antioxidant, and as an agent in hair dyes. Mercury is another product often used in some cosmetic products as a bleaching agent. Severly toxic, it can cause skin to go grey or blue black, rather than lighter, and in many cases has resulted in the user suffering from mercury poisoning.

How do they work?
Bleaching creams work by stripping the skin of its natural pigmentation. However, in dark skinned people, the pigmentation is the skin’s natural protection from the sun. Bleaching doesn't just superficially lighten the skin, it alters the skin's 'natural' structure, removing and inhibiting the production of the colour creating melanin.
Once the skin has been 'bleached' it loses its natural protective barrier, making it susceptible to damage by the sun's rays. This is also why many bleaching products contain either sunscreen, or come with instructions advising people to use sun protection creams along with the product. Prolonged use of these bleaching products can also prevent the formation of melanin in the deeper basal layers of the skin, which will leave the skin lighter, but also leave it more vulnerable to damage. Hydroquinone in particular, has been found to damage the connective tissue in the skin and cartilage, hence its removal from skincare products.

People who use bleaching products can end up with rough and blotchy skin, and then get caught up in the 'bleaching trap' by using more cream to try and correct the problem, and by doing so, find themsevles causing even more damage to their skin. Alternatively, they may find that because of exposure to the sun, their 'lightened skin' gets darker.

Anti-bleaching campaigns
Up until now it has been legal to sell and promote skin bleaches which contain a maximum of two per cent hydroquinone. Although there is anecdotal evidence of shops selling under the counter creams that contain over this legal limit. Even at national and international levels, standards differ. For example, anyone caught travelling to the Gambia with cosmetics containing hydroquinone is subject to a large fine. Yet, another African country was recently prepared to pay research scientist Sujata Jolly, two million pounds to develop a bleaching cream.

Sujata told us, ‘I couldn't take the contract. Having seen the terrible effects skin bleaching has had on some people, there was no way I was prepared to take the contract, no matter how much money they offered.’ She said, ‘I've been campaigning against the use of bleaching creams for years, and have written and appealed to health ministers in an attempt to get them to do something, because I feel so strongly about the dangers of using these creams.’

Sujata adds that she’s not alone. Southwark Council's Trading Standards Council recently led a campaign against the use of bleaching creams. The campaigning efforts have finally paid off, because this time next year, hydroquinone will no longer be approved as a bleaching agent for use in cosmetic creams in
the UK.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has received a directive (Twenty-fourth Commission Directive), from the European Commission, banning the use of hydroquinone as a skin lightener. The draft of the directive clearly states that 'Harmful secondary effects have been shown to arise following prolonged use of hydroquinone as a skin-lightening cream. This particular use of hydroquinone must not therefore be authorised'. This means that not even the current allowance of two per cent of hydroquinone in cosmetics will be approved by law. Member states are already taking measures to implement the directive. However, worryingly, some major cosmetic companies are not even aware of the directive.

i kno this might sound like a stupid question but does 'clear essence@ bleach too as it also 'claims' not to have traces of hydroquinine

ANY BLACK PERSON WANTING FOR ANY REASON TO ALTER THIER APPEARANCE TO APPEAR FAIRER SKINNED HATES THEMSELVES AND THIER OWN PEOPLE AND DESERVES FOR THIER DAMNED FACE TO FALL OFF.

TO HELL WIDDAT NONSENSE.

Yeah I agree people are pretty messed up, I am a dark skinned black girl, who when I was a teenager I suffered from hyperpigmentation and brown spots on my skin, making it appear darker and unevened tone. With all of that people still told me I was cute. But anyway I went to a dermatologist , and she prescribed hydroliquinone, a skin tone bleaching creme that I was to appy to the dark spots and the skin discoloration. So I have used bleaching creme but only to even out the acne scars and brown hyperpigmentation spots. Every time I break out with a pimple IT LEAVES A BIG BROWN SPOT, so I have to use bleach to get rid of the spot, but what eventually happened is that the spot get lighter than the rest of my skin then I have to even out my skin with the cream to match the lighter spots. I hated using that cream. I do not like the idea of fooling with the color God gave me. So to solve the problem what I have done, is to wash and cleanse my face very good, so I do not have to break out and use that horrible skin bleaching cream. My skin is even toned now and it looks great. But I like my smooth even toned clear chocolate brown complexion.banana.gif

skin bleaching is skin bleaching. there are many products that dont bleach the skin that lessen teh appearance of cars and dark spots. if you have a blemish that you are not happy with i would say do your research first to see what the true effect is of the product you intend to use to get rid of blemishes.

I really can't stand to see a black person bleach. Do they hate themselves so much that they have to lighten their skin. I think there are a lot of deeper issuses regarding skin bleaching. Some of it stems from within the community and media.

light is right. I think somewhere in their brains they feel they will be seen more atractive being lightskinned, where in fact they look more grey than lightskinned.

For example look and music videos. The women in them are usually light, euro features. it all has an effect on people. It almost seems like a form of brainwashing. If you don't look like that then you have to to look pretty. this is just one example.



I think its so sad to see women and men doing this to themselves, what is the purpose. As someone said they are still black no matter how light they get.

DOES MICHEAL JACKSON LOOK BEAUTIFUL.



THERES YOUR ANSWER PROBLEM SOLVED.



LOL

IT'S JUSTLIKE WHEN YOU GOT SOME COFFEE THAT'S TOO 'BLACK' -WHICH MEANS ITS TOO STRONG...WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU INTEGRATE IT WITH CREAM...YOU MAKE IT WEAK. IF YOU POUR TOO MUCH CREAM IN IT YOU WON'T EVEN KNOW YOU EVER HAD COFFEE.

IT USED TO BE HOT, IT BECOMES COOL; IT USED TO BE STRONG, NOW IT IS WEAK; IT USED TO WAKE YOU UP, NOW-IT'LL PUT YOU TO SLEEP."



AL HAJ MALIK AL SHABAZZ (MALCOLM X)

Nov 1963

Most honestly- i don't see it as a bad thing; unless it becomes extreme to the point that you look like u aint black no more. Cos most honestly i think some people need it, people who are particularly patchy like me- lol. I just want my skin to be even, for example, if i were to hold my hands up to my face- they don't look like my hands cos they are extremely light in comparison to my face and so is the rest of my body. Of all things my forhead is just the darkest part of my body, it's got this seriously dark streak going across it and it just seriously stand out, so everytime i get my hair done i do it so that it covers tht dark patch. If i were to bleach my body- it would most definately be my forehead- cos that dark patch has just got to go. It is beginning to fade though cos i've started to use complextion cream for it.

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