Skin Whitening

Since what seems like the beginning of recorded history beautiful pale skin has been a feature held in high admiration.  Skin that has a perfect even tone, and that appears unblemished in any way is something that you rarely find.  Most of us suffer from skin that is less than perfect, and this is something that is often further complicated as the signs of aging begin to appear.

Many of us hold on to our healthy complexion until we reach our forties.  Some may last a little longer, and some of us will begin to show the signs a bit sooner, but at some point all of us will see it.  What I am talking about is the first occurrence of melanin hyperpigmentation, which is the brown spots that form on our skin that are popularly known as age spots.

These blemishes are the “kiss of death” to anyone who has enjoyed a lifetime of beautiful pale skin.  No longer will you be admired as the lovely young lass with the perfect skin, but will be looked at as someone who is moving past her prime.  It is a shame that people view these little marks as a sign that one is getting old, because their occurrence is actually unrelated to age.

These spots are actually caused by cellular damage in your skin that was brought on by years of exposure to the ultra violet radiation emitted by the sun.  When the skin is exposed by these UV rays it is a signal that the cells are under attack, which triggers a defense mechanism that begins to darken the pigment of the skin.  This is widely referred to as tanning.

This scenario plays itself out time and time again, until there are some pockets of skin cells that are damaged beyond repair.  These damaged cells then go into a permanent state of hyperpigmentation.  People with beautiful pale skin are often affected the worst when the time comes, because fair skinned people are far more susceptible to damage from the sun’s rays than the rest of us are.

This state of melanin hyperpigmentation that your skin goes through is repairable, if you are using a skin lightening formula that contains the right ingredients.  Try to avoid using the typical age spot formulas that you see advertised, because most of them contain a skin whitener that is primarily made up of bleach.  This is not effective in lightening your age spots.

For regaining your beautiful pale skin you need to use products that contain an ingredient known as Extrapone nut grass root extract.  This compound is a natural melanin inhibitor, which means that it not only lightens up the spots that you have and evens out your complexion, but it also prevents the outbreak of new spots.  There is no other ingredient to be found that treats melanin hyperpigmentation as effectively as this one does.

Believe me, once you start to use this, you do not have to lose your beautiful pale skin.  With the use of products containing ingredients such as Extrapone nut grass root extract, you can hold on to it forever.

Visit my site to learn about more amazing natural skin care substances you have probably never heard of.

By: Laurel Levine

Hydroquinone has recently been banned from various countries after a recent study proving links with cancer.

But cancer is not the only health hazard associated with skin whitening. And many people are not fully aware of the possible dangers.

Using skin whitening products can damage the skin and cause it to loose its protective properties, leading to infections. The thinning of the skin caused by those products can also leave the skin with irreversible stretch marks
Other bleaching products can cause liver damage, visible blood vessels and hyperpigmentation amongst many other dangers.

A common result of skin bleaching is a condition called ocronosis in which the pigment drops into the dermis making it almost impossible to remove.

Many women who have had flawless complexions prior to using the creams develop this persistent, stubborn acne on their face with large papules and nodules.

Various types of allergic reactions to many of the ingredients can also leave the skin irreversibly damaged.

So, what’s safe and what’s not in the world of skin whitening?
The following are the findings from a report conducted on behalf of SW+SS Skin Whitening by Dr Jonathan Lindenberg, skincare adviser.

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-Alpha Hydroxic Acids, like lactic acid and glycolic acid are safe to use under 10% concentration. Concentrations higher than 10% are only to be used by dermatologists and trained cosmetologists.

-Arbutin. It contains the chemical glucosylated hydroquinone. Like many other skin whitening products, no studies have been made regarding its toxicity, but there are fears that it can have the same links with cancer found in hydroquinone.

-Azelaic acid. It can be a skin and eye irritant, but it’s believed that there is no risk to health associated with this ingredient.

-Hydroquinone. Although Hydroquinone is a very strong inhibitor of melanin production, it has been banned from various countries due to the link found with cancer. It is considered to be an irritant above 4% concentration and can be an unstable ingredient in formulations of cosmetic products. Some scientists have also proposed that hydroquinone poisoning can lead to a lower IQ and verbal difficulties.

-Kojic acid. Testing on mice has proven that there is evidence on the carcinogenicity of kojic acid, but no studies have been made yet on the effects on humans.

-Mercury. Highly Toxic. Both an acute and chronic poison. Mercury poisoning has been linked to kidney failure, nervous system disorders, and mental disturbance as well as autism. Its carcinogenicity has been well documented. It has been banned from most countries.

-Tretinoin. It is made from Vitamin A. It has been recorded to cause thinning and dryness of the skin. Sensitive skin types can also experience redness, scaling, itching and burning.

-Vitamin C. Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, L-glutathione, L-ascorbic acid, ascorbyl glucosamine, and ascorbic acid are the various anti oxidants that have been found to have positive effects in reducing melanin production in concentrations higher than 5%. It is believed to be one of the safest whitening products in the market.

By: Jonathan Lindenberg