The perils of skin whitening
Thursday, 17 January 2008
I’ve read about how some ladies in Singapore have been going for this whitening injection on a beauty forum and was rather leery of the idea.
I don’t have much idea about this treatment but it just didn’t sound right to me, to have something injected into our bodies to reverse the skin tone (think Michael Jackson.) And my suspicions were right because yesterday, I learnt of a warning over the news from Hong Kong that such non-regulated cosmetic treatment could be fatal if improperly used. Even if it doesn’t cause death, there are possible side effects including liver failure.
The key ingredient in skin whitening drips is glutathione, a strong antioxidant for treating cancer and AIDS. Its side effects include nausea, vomiting and stomachache and may even be lethal if overused, according to the Hong Kong Department of Health. Another ingredient, tranexamic acid, could lead to liver failure if overused.
Source: Killer cosmetics warning from consumer council from The Standard.
Besides the drips or injection, there are also these L-Glutathione super whitening pills which serves the same purpose of lightening the color of the skin when consumed along with vitamin C for three to six months or more. Apparently this is a very popular treatment in Asia especially for many celebrities and models. I remembered Barbie Hsu had also mentioned about it in her second beauty book.
What was even more scary to me was that some ladies on the beauty forum were actually recommending services of some non-qualified beauticians for such treatments. I certainly hope none were silly enough to take such a big risk.
Like all invasive treatments, whitening injections or super whitening pills ought to be taken with the recommendation of qualified dermatologists or professionals. Even then, you want to make sure you find out exactly what the treatment entails and what sort of side effects you could be exposed to.
Mirror mirror, on the wall, how can I be safely fairer than them all?
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Posted in Beauty | 20 Comments »
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January 17th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Viva,
Im sticking to being natural. My skin is pretty fair but would like it to be fairer but in a safe way. Thanks for the warning. Does Barbie Hsu have her book in english?
Julia: Her books are all in Chinese. I don’t believe I’ve come across a translated version.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
thanks for the reply.
Was the book helpful in any ways? I heard something outrageous but not sure if it’s true about her beauty secrets. I really hope i can find a translated version of it.
Julia: Are you referring to her wanting to eat human placenta? I wrote it here if you’re interested.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:05 am
thanks for telling me. this is really extreme for beauty.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:44 am
Scary to think what we put in and on our bodies.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Its really scary doing these injections since theres a proliferation of counterfeit products and unlike whitening pills or capsules, injectable glutathione cannot(not yet) be tested for its authenticity. So its really safer and better to take the pills instead since its not invasive and really proven to lighten your skin without any complications.
kazumi: Yes, that’s really true but unfortunately, there’re still girls falling prey to those counterfeits.
July 20th, 2008 at 4:11 am
We are beauty as our own colour. Lots of Western people would love to have tan on them to look beautiful . The beauty business is way too wrong for Asian to look like White people.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I know tanned skin looks good, but for Asians, you either have simple pale skin or you have patchy darker skin.
It’s really hard to find Asians with an evenly, naturally dark skin tone.
Kym: Well, some have nice tan. But perhaps with so much focus on white skin, more pple prefer whitening over tanning…
December 21st, 2008 at 9:59 pm
i would like to have the lighting pills.
thank u
March 8th, 2009 at 1:20 am
i’m an egyptian girl suffering from dark body although my face is lighter, i don’t know why? I don’t want to be white but just want to be a little lighter, are those pills are really helpful? and where can I get those pills from since I live in egypt and saudia arabia?
Asmaa: I wouldn’t recommend them…
March 18th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
It,s true that glutathione (GSH) helps to whiten skin, but many medical reports state that GSH can only be produce within our bodies. In pills forms, injection or creams forms, before it,s reach our cells thru the blood streams ,it will be flushed out.
The good news is, there is a way to stimulate our cells to increase our glutahione level.
You can read more information on this at http://www.lifewave.com/m1211
April 4th, 2009 at 2:11 am
You are correct GSH or glutathione reduced form is not really good as it will also flushed out and it will not go directly to your bloodstream. I found also another brand name kyusoku bihaku which is in free form. I tried it and i’ve seen the result in just one week. The price is very good as well since it only 15$ per one month supply.
Trisha: One week? Wow, that’s interesting. I’ll look it up for more info. Thanks for letting me know!
April 22nd, 2009 at 8:03 am
where i can buy the product as above Thisha mean? It is really safe?
Sheryl: I have no idea…about the safety level, nobody can tell you if its 100% safe. Some pple may react to such products while others are fine.
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 am
is there any type of surgical method or pill intake or any type of injection that will result in whiter skin … and have NO side effects at all.
i’m really interested in having a whiter skin tone.. i mean my whole body, not just my face.
Kisha: I’m not in a position to recommend you anything. I know there are products over the counter but I would suggest you visit a qualified dermatologist if you’re keen on such pills or injections.
June 14th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I’ve been using lite Ning injections for a bit now, with no side effects, i got very lighter, which was my reasone for taking the Hollywood Lite Ning injection… it’s been used in Asai for decades… and it seems to be effective for lightening the skin.I take 2 pills one at night and one in the morning, 1cc injection IM once a week and all is great!
November 19th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Hi Armond, I am currently using the Lite-Ning injections but I am not sure how to use it, please could you advise me about this my email address is Charmarie2008@gmail.com
November 21st, 2009 at 3:03 am
nothing just i want whiten my whole body skin
December 1st, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I hate being olive skinned it really upsets me. wondering if I can get anything in australia?
December 28th, 2009 at 1:59 am
What think Michael Jackson??
Michael Jackson has a skin disorder called Vitiligo for goodness sake!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMGcJFCmnCg
February 1st, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Oh rabid fan eh?
March 17th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I know for a fact the publisher of this product did not get any of that negative information from a doctor. The only dangers i could see being fatal would be improper use of the needles for injection. There is no such thing as an overdose on glutathione! Are you kidding me! it’s an anti-oxidant if you swallow a whole bottle your just going to poop most of it out. Your body can only absorb so much at a time, this is why injectables are faster in results because you put the glutathione past the step of having to be absorbed by your body into the bloodstream.