Whitening isn’t right
Skin lightening procedures don’t last forever and should be avoided, say medical experts.
Indians, unfortunately, are still obsessed with fairer complexion. Taking its cue from this mentality, the make-your-skin-fairer industry of beauty creams and cosmetics do a roaring business in India.
But is it so easy to change the colour of one’s skin? Is it advisable? Is it a procedure that can be easily undertaken?
No, say skin experts and plastic surgeons who feel that this false yearning has, in fact, created skin problems in people who have undertaken wrong experiments in a bid to become fair.
It is done for those who have excessive pigmentation due to skin diseases. Medically speaking, the process removes excess pigmentation from the outer layers of the skin.
Skin colour is determined by a pigment called melanin which produces special cells called melanocytes. The number of melanocytes determine colour of the skin. Hundreds of melanocytes are produced in very dark people, moderate in less dark people or coloured people like Indians and extremely less in fair people.
Source: Asian Age
Published: 25 May 2014
Category: Features, Health alert
