Skin Bleaching Creams Are On The Rise
Photo: Henry Leutwyler
There always seems to be a market for insecurities, and for anyone suffering with a complex about their complexion there are aisles of cures. But fixing hyperpigmentation is just the tip of the iceberg: it seems that bleaching creams that can seemingly change your racial category are on the rise across the world. With these products comes the controversial question: should you really want to alter your skin tone that dramatically?
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The new documentary, “Light Girls,” which recently premiered on OWN, focuses on the women who use these creams in hopes of going from dark skin to a much lighter complexion. There are multiple commentaries within the piece, from experts like Dr. Margaret Hunter, head of the Sociology Department at Mills College, who confirms the growing popularity of bleaching creams. “Skin bleaching is a growing phenomenon around the world and it’s becoming a bigger business,” explains Dr. Hunter.
The intended use of these creams is for trouble spots due to sun exposure, hormonal shifts and skin conditions such as hyperpigmentation, melasma and vitligo. But many take it too far, and overuse of these creams can eliminate skin pigment altogether, which removes your facial category and gives one an alien, almost translucent appearance.
“Bleaching creams have been around forever, dating back to the times of Cleopatra,” says Ni’Kita Wilson, one of the industry’s top cosmetic chemists and beauty industry experts. “They’ve been around for centuries because in a good many cultures, the lighter your skin, the higher your social ranking. Since higher-valued positions work inside, that means darker your skin is a sign of manual labor. This social stigma exists in Asian cultures (particularly the caste system,) Latin cultures and even in the African-American population in the US, between people of lighter skin and darker skin tones.”
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“The creams that exist now are now produced to bring uniformity to the skin, to lighten dark spots and give an even appearance,” Wilson goes on to explain. “But the real history behind the products is they were created to change your skin color.”
According to Dr. Carlos Charles, a board-certified dermatologist specializing in multicultural skin, the main ingredient in skin lightening creams is commonly used but a bit controversial. “The gold standard to fading and lightening the skin is hydroquinone, which the enzymes that cause melanin production.”
But since hydroquinone is banned in the EU, how would someone go about lightening skin to this degree? “The cream uses alpha arbutin, which once the enzymes of the body pull it apart, breaks down into the main active compound of hydroquinone,” says Wilson. “ In extreme concentrations and with high usage, it destroys the cells. Alpha arbutin is much safer than pure hydroquinone because it takes longer for your body to break it down, but if you combine hydroquinone with acids that remove a surface layer of skin, the whole process is expedited, allowing the ingredients to penetrate the skin more quickly, where the arbutin can get into melanin production at a deeper level so it never has a chance to rise to the surface.”
“The black market also has high-potency topical steroid creams as skin lighteners, which can thin the skin to the point you can see superficial blood vessels underneath, a condition that’s irreversible,” explains Dr. Charles. “My African patients sometimes come in with aggressive bleaching goals, and most of them have those beauty supply steroid creams. It’s dangerous because, in the end, they are prescription-level steroid creams and it’s hard to wean someone off since stopping can cause a whole new host of issues.”
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Wilson has a grave warning for overzealous skin bleaching. “Overuse of high levels of hydroquinone can completely destroy the cell, turning it albino in nature. Once those skin cells are dead, they’re never coming back. Overuse of those creams can cause a cessation in melanin production altogether.”
Despite warnings and cautionary photos of individuals who’ve taken the skin bleaching to dangerous levels, the popularity is on the rise for such products according to Dr. Hunter—particularly across the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Japan, Latin America and South Korea.
The documentary also speaks to the shame and anguish suffered by many women of color born with a lighter complexion. In the documentary, one woman shares the psychological damage from years of chiding, which led to her to excessive tanning, ultimately resulting in melasma.
The color of one’s skin has been used as a means of social division across cultures for centuries. I’ve had my own struggles with acceptance as a Black woman, but I feel good about the color of my skin and feel passionate that others should do the same. As we continue to sift through the years of discrimination over beauty, there will always be someone who can profit from those insecurities. Only we can start the healing, and no cream can take the place of human conversation.
