Dermatologists in US said they were seeing women of Hispanic and African descent, among others, with severe side - effects from the misuse of skin-lightening creams, many with prescription-strength ingredients, which are sold in beauty shops and bodegas and online.
Erin Gilbert, a chief resident in dermatology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, said that she or a colleague saw a case of severe side-effects from skin-lightening creams at least once a week.
Eliot Battle Jr., who has a dermatology practice in Washington, says he treats side-effects from lightening creams not only containing corticosteroids, but mercury, a poison that can damage the nervous system. The Patients are PHD'S to women from corporate America, teachers to engineers the entire broad spectrum of women of colour, Battle Said.
For years, misuse was on the decline, Battle said,"but now it's happening more because the internet has been a great source for these patients to get physician-strength or prescription-strength products".
Evelyn Nakano Glenn, a professor of gender and women's studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said it was wrong to assume that skin-lightening was a cultural anachronism or an effort to negate one's recial heritage.
"Infact, it's a growing practice and one that has been stimulated by the companies that produce these products," she said. Their advertisements connect happiness and success and romance with being lighter skinned.
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