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In a bid to look more appealing, attractive or beautiful, a lot of people have resorted to using creams, pills and soaps to lighten the colour of their skin, hoping it will make them look better. It is not a bad thing to want to appear more beautiful, however, it is not advisable if it can cause harm or affect the health. It is no news that most bleaching creams and soaps contain harmful substances such as hydroquinone, mercury, steroids, parabens, dioxane and so on, in fact, the list is endless. These ingredients can cause harm to the skin when used consistently for long periods of time, they can damage the skin, cause skin infections and even more serious diseases such as cancer. However, skin bleaching does not always have to be seen in a bad light, if you know what you are doing, you should be able to avoid all the nasty side effects that come with it. The following are things you must know before embarking on the journey:

  1. The duration: If you are planning to bleach your skin for the rest of your life, then we have to tell you that it is a bad idea. Skin lightening should only be done for a specific period of time, it should not become an obsession. You should know when to start and when to stop, for example, you should not embark on skin lightening if you are strapped for money. You do not want to buy the cheap and dangerous creams, go for quality instead. And we all know that quality comes at a price.

  1. The ingredients: It is only normal to be curious, but if you are going to apply something that can change the colour of your skin, your curiosity should be spiked. Check each and every ingredient used in the product and research the product thoroughly before using it. If it contains hydroquinone, mercury and steroids, please do not buy it, try the ones that have more natural ingredients that will be less harsh on your skin.

  1. The instructions: One major reason why people suffer from the side effects of bleaching creams is that they do not read and follow the instructions given by the manufacturer of the products they use. If it says do not expose yourself to sunlight, adhere to the instruction. If it says do not use more than once in a week, do not go overboard with its usage. It is important to follow instructions so as not to cause more harm than good to your skin.

  1. The reason: This is perhaps the most important thing you should know before choosing to lighten or bleach your skin. Why do you want to do it? Is it to please people or to please yourself? You have to know the answer to these questions before embarking on the journey because you are solely responsible for your own decisions.
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This article was first published on 25th August 2016

jelifat

Opoola Jelifat is a young and passionate writer. She holds a B.Sc degree in Microbiology and enjoys reading, cooking and writing on real life issues. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree at the University of Ibadan. Contact her on opoolajelifat@gmail.com, and via Twitter and facebook by clicking the icons below.

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