Beyond altering your skin tone, you are also damaging the proper functionality of your body system. Hormonal imbalance has been associated with skin bleaching, among many other causes. Remember the story I shared earlier; Skin bleaching is among the many root causes of infertility, hormonal imbalance, and its resultant conditions like birth control, polycystic ovary syndrome, nutritional deficiencies, and many more. Hormonal imbalance is one of the leading causes of infertility, and infertility is one of the goons of skin lightening. It messes up the hormones and gradually affects the fertility rate.

Hormonal imbalance is one of the most dreaded diseases that can happen to a woman, and is easily caused by the harmful substances in skin bleaching products. A lot of women are strumming the streets of Nigeria without knowing that the use of skin bleaching products is affecting their ability to conceive, and one of the subtle signs is irregular menstruation.

Skin Cancer: some persons may know that skin bleaching is associated with skin cancer, however, they may not be unaware of how these two entities overlap. Everything you use on your skin goes into your body. When you slather a lotion on your skin, it goes into the bloodstream through the skin pores, thereby having an effect, positive or negative, on the organs of the body over time. It either damages or nourishes the body. Each product used on your skin has business in your body system which is why a person may suffer skin cancer due to skin bleaching.

Most Bleaching creams contain properties like hydroquinone, mercury, and steroids leading to skin depigmentation for some time before turning into a regretful action in the long run after the pseudo effect of these elements has faded. Bleaching creams are poseur, they trick the user temporarily into acknowledging their powerful effect on depigmenting the natural skin tone but after a while, they reveal their true colour; damage! 

Liver and Kidney Damage: Hydroquinone, mercury and steroids accumulate in the body. Using bleaching creams may affect the liver and kidneys due to the accumulated harmful elements in the body.  Hepatotoxicity (liver damage) and nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) occur in the body when it is exposed to certain substances like harmful chemicals, foods, additives and alcohol. Skin bleaching has been associated with liver and kidney damage.

Continuous usage of bleaching skincare products may lead to a worse fate if precautionary action is not taken promptly. The best way to prevent the effect of stored hydroquinone, steroids and mercury in the body is to discontinue use immediately. The chemicals used in formulating skin bleaching creams and soaps are highly toxic, little wonder they damage the health of users so much and these users are unaware of the root cause of the damage.

Psychological Diseases: Skin bleaching always leads to regrettable action which affects the psychological order of the mind. The effects of skin bleaching may lead to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. They cause discolouration, uneven skin tone, premature ageing and many more which can affect the self-esteem of the sufferer. This could lead to social isolation, and withdrawal from conversation leading to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Skin lightening wreaks havoc on the social standing of a person. Besides, these days people are quick to pick out people using bleaching creams which could be embarrassing for the sufferer. He or she may become apprehensive as a result of this action. So, the sufferer might withdraw from social gatherings to avoid embarrassing scenarios leading to a smaller social network, loneliness, depression and frustration.

Skin thinning: skin thinning is a terrible skin condition that affects the texture of the skin. It makes the skin appear fragile, and unhealthy making it susceptible to wounds and injuries that redden the skin. Skin thinning is not a condition your skin should suffer as accidents can occur. When accidents happen to the sufferer of skin thinning and the doctor is required to stitch the skin for reparation, it might be impossible due to the damage of the skin barrier, exposing the injured person to dire situations leaving the wound to rot or requiring extremely complex solutions. Also, skin thinning can affect the impression of the sufferer wrongly. People might begin to see such a person as unpolished or unkempt which may lead to losing great opportunities that may contribute to the person’s life.

Skin bleaching is a social concern that has been around Nigeria and Africa for a long time and a lot of people have suffered from its terrible side effects. It is still surprising that a lot of people know about this but still choose to continue in this practice, while some others continue because they are not aware of skin bleaching side effects. Skin acceptance is the first solution to skin bleaching. Embrace your natural skin tone and do not try to look like the celebrity on your TV screens or your friends. Be yourself and glory in your skin, be the reason why people love their natural skin tone. BeYOUtiful! You can do it.

Recommendation: writing this post without recommending a safe and natural product to you would be a felony. One of the most trusted genuinely natural skincare products in Nigeria and Africa today is Avila Naturalle. Do not just take my word for it, do your research and see for yourself. Tested and trusted!