Have you heard of the concerning world of skin bleaching? This episode of Shady via Refinery29 takes a look into this worldwide toxic beauty trend that can have troubling side effects.
Skin bleaching, also known as skin lightening or whitening, is a cosmetic practice that utilizes a combination of products, some with potentially harmful side effects, to physically lighten the pigment of one’s skin tone.
According to Shady, skin bleaching is set to become a $24 billion industry in the coming years, with the Philippines holding the highest rates of use for skin-lightening procedures in the world.
Refinery29’s beauty editor Lexy Lebsack spoke to esteemed celebrity dermatologist Dr. Vicki Belo about what’s really happening in the world of skin bleaching in the Philippines.
“It’s almost a status symbol, like having a Hermes bag,” Belo explains of the cultural phenomenon that is skin whitening. Her office offers a number of different treatments, including scrubs, lasers, wet and dry dermabrasion, capsules, and intravenous.
And even though the controversial ingredient glutathione is in her intravenous “Cinderella Drip” treatment — glutathione has yet to receive FDA approval for cosmetic use — Belo notes that there are other methods and procedures for skin bleaching out there that are much more dangerous.
She has seen people come in who have used topical creams containing mercury, which is a heavy metal that can actually result in mercury poisoning and have toxic results for humans.
Joanne Rondula, a professor at San Jose State University, notes that those who have chosen to partake in skin-bleaching procedures are “not looking to be white like a white person, they’re just looking to be lighter-skinned, because historically that’s what they perceived as not only beautiful but also powerful.”
To get the full scoop on skin bleaching and its potentially harmful ramifications, watch the full video.
