You bleach at your own risk if you ignore these serious health problems
- Medical doctors have warned that bleaching causes major serious health problems
-Some of these health risks include kidney failure, blindness, asthma and high blood pressure
Recently, many young people have added bleaching to their fashion list all in the name of enhancing their beauty.
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Some are said to bleach because of inferiority complex and quest to please their peers.
For others, their skin is so dark that they hate it and to pacify themselves, bleaching is the only way out.
But even before a medical background on the subject of bleaching, the results or consequences are clearly seen in our communities.
For example, those who have bleached for a long time are seen with burnt skin especially on their faces, chests and arms.
Some also who are unable to achieve an evenly bleached skin have some parts of their bodies bleached and some part maintaining their natural skin colour.
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They are often mocked and called all sorts of funny names like ‘nensuoben’, the name given to the dark burnt marks found at the eyes area.
Others are nick-named ‘Coke and Fanta’; coke for the part that refused to bleach and therefore still remaining black, and fanta for the part which has successfully bleached.
But there are more to the usual burnt dark skin we see around us.
Medical officers have warned that there are dangerous health problems associated with skin bleaching.
Some of these health problems seems incurable and can only be managed. Some are in fact, deadly.
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YEN.com.gh brings you five (5) of these health problems as discussed by doctors.
1. Blindness: While many people may think this as extreme, blindness has been established to be a deadly result of bleaching. According to doctors, the hydroquinone agent contained in all bleaching creams is a dangerous chemical which when it comes into contact with the eyes can damage them.
An elderly woman who shared such an experience on GHONE TV said she went totally blind and after examination, it was found out that her eyes were affected by her bleaching cream.
Her story was reported by YEN.com.gh. After a surgery was done to restore her sight, this woman pledged never to have anything to do with bleaching cream any more.
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2. Hypertension and Asthma: Surprising, isn’t it? However, research has established that the chemicals in bleaching cream are absorbed by the body into the blood stream. Therefore, with such chemicals getting into the blood, it is obvious that the heart which is the main organ for pumping blood would be affected leading to high blood pressure or hypertension, asthma, and other heart related diseases.
3. Mental Illness: A medical doctor, Dr. Hannah-Lisa Tetteh, who was one of the guests on the Late Afternoon Show on GHONE revealed that people who bleach are at risk of suffering psychiatric disorders. This is caused by the high level of mercury contained in these bleaching creams. Aside from mental illness, this bleaching agent also causes asthma and liver damage.
4. Diabetes: A research conducted by the Canadian Family Physician revealed that prolonged use of hydroquinone can cause diabetes. According to the research, the hydroquinone, mercury and topical steroids contained in most bleaching creams, when absorbed into the blood cause diabetes, widespread of stretchmarks and other serious diseases.
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5. Kidney disease: According to doctors, chemicals agents like the ones mentioned in this article contained in bleaching creams reduce the activities of the natural cells which protect the skin from adverse effects of sunlight. Consequently, this affect the immune system and the natural ability of the body to fight against diseases is reduced hence causing damage to the organs of the body. This not only result in kidney diseases but also infertility, thinner skin and others.
There are other serious health implications for bleaching and doctors have warned that for good health and long life, bleaching should a thing of the past.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
