Encomium
Bleaching has become the order of the day, and a trend that women have embraced without thinking of the side effects.
According to research, 77 percent of Nigerian women bleach their skin. It is also said that skin bleaching products are big business in Africa, with Nigeria using the most products.
Bleaching poses a lot of dangers to the skin, yet a lot of women don’t stop in their quest to look brighter and light skinned.
ENCOMIUM Weekly spoke with beauty and skin experts and they explained to us the dangers of bleaching and why it should not be encouraged.
JANE OJENELELO, Complete Skin Solution
Do you encourage bleaching?
Bleaching should not be encouraged and I don’t encourage it either. But most women want to be white. A lot of women love to change their skin colour.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
Bleaching is dangerous, it can cause skin cancer and other skin related diseases.
How much does it cost to bleach?
There are different skin bleaching creams. There are the cheap ones and the expensive ones. The cheap ones work faster and they damage the skin faster too.
Do you have any client who has complained about the side effects of bleaching/toning, even if it was not done or prescribed by you?
Yes, I have a lot of people like that. I try to treat them but it is unfortunate that most of them go back to bleaching after they have been treated.
AMANDA AKHIMIEN, Ever After
Do you encourage bleaching?
Whether I encourage it or not, people will still do it, I believe it is a choice really. If someone wants to enhance the colour of her skin I don’t think it is bad if it is done the right way.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
There are dangers involved in bleaching. A lot of side effects like skin pigmentation and stretch marks and a lot of other things, the most common being dark knuckles and dark feet.
Do you have clients who have come to you as a result of the side effects of bleaching?
Majority of the clients that come to me come with complaints of what bleaching has done to them. That is where I come in and take care of the side effects.
How much does it cost to bleach?
It depends on the products the person is using. It can be cheap, it can be expensive.
ZAINAB ASIFAT
Do you encourage bleaching?
No, I don’t. Bleaching ages the skin, it gives body odour.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
Bleaching brings out black spots which can result to cancer. One of the dangerous effects of bleaching is skin cancer which is not curable. Bleaching gives stretch marks and body odour like I said.
How much does it cost to bleach?
There are creams for the average users. There are creams of N2,500 that work within a month. For the rich, their cream sells for N10,000 upwards. That takes a gradual process to work but more effective than the less expensive ones.
Do you have clients who have come to you as a result of the side effects of bleaching?
Yes, I have many people like that. One thing I tell them is that, it is not all the negative effects of bleaching that can be cured.
SUSAN CHANEL, Susan Chanel Beauty Skinline
Do you encourage bleaching?
No, I don’t encourage bleaching. A bleached skin will look pale, and white. They don’t look healthy. Bleachers are prone to skin cancer because most of these products contain SPF.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
There are so many dangers and side effects of skin bleaching, these are dark knuckles, sun burn, uneven skin tone and skin pigmentation.
How much does it cost to bleach?
There are different types of bleaching agents and their prices vary. There are so many cosmetics in the market. Changing skin colour is difficult and expensive.
Do you have clients who have come to you as a result of the side effect of bleaching?
Yes, a thousand and one clients have come to us for treatment as a result of bad bleaching, but we use herbal products to treat them.
BUNMI OSOBU, Shai Skincare & Beauty Palour
Do you encourage bleaching?
No, I don’t. For some people that have skin disorder, the treatment that will be given to them will whiten their skin. Some people have acne, we can give such Gluthathione pill. It will make them white though.
Gluthathione pill is not made for bleaching but to cure certain skin disease but nowadays, people have started abusing its use. I will rather advise people to tone their skin, and take out the dead cells from the skin.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
Skin cancer. Our weather does not encourage bleaching in the first place. If such a person is exposing herself to too much sun, it can cause skin cancer. The skin can be damaged forever. It could also cause terrible stretch marks, sun burn and dark knuckles.
How much does it cost to bleach?
It is a lot of money. If someone wants to bleach, the person should know that she must continue forever. It is almost for a life time.. For those in the business, they can tell you how much it costs to bleach.
Do you have clients who have come to you as a result of the side effects of bleaching?
Many people come to us for treatment of the after effect of bleaching. We treat them through the natural process.
CLARA KOMOLAFE, Clara Beauty Spa and Academy
No, I don’t. It destroys the skin. It can cause skin cancer. The after effect will make the person look older than her age. Bleachers normally use cream that is cheap, such cream can eat up the protein in the skin. Toning is better than bleaching. Toning has nothing to do with mercury and hydroquinone. Most cream manufacturers will say they don’t have those chemicals in their creams but it is not true.
What are the dangers of bleaching?
Bleaching can cause skin cancer. It can cause stretch marks. It allows fungal infect the skin.
How much does it cost to bleach?
Creams range from N300 to N1,000
Do you have clients who have come to you as a result of the side effects of bleaching?
We get that a lot. In my 11 years of business, I have seen more than 3,000 clients with such problem.
-SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN and TINUOLA JOSEPH
