Addicted to fairness creams?

First it was Shah Rukh Khan who created a buzzwith his Lux soap commercial and now it’s Shahid Kapoor who’s hitthe headlines for promoting Vaseline men’s face whitening lotion. Whilefariness creams had remained the domain of women, we have men who have takenthem up rather seriously. Resultantly, the 'fairness' market isbooming what with men too getting in the line to become ‘fair andlovely’. But in the bid to look good, has anyone thought of itsside-effects?Dermatologist Dr Amit Vij, says, “Face whiteningcreams are harmful for all – be it man or woman. They might be in greatdemand for the fair look they promise but the only ones who’ve beenregular in using it would know the harm that the creams have caused to theirskin. That’s not to say that the person didn’t achieve his goal– of looking fair, but at what cost?”But going by the texture of men’s skin and presuming that their fairness creams have higher quantity of bleach, are men at a higher risk of skin damage? “Like I said, these fairness creams are bad for men and women alike. And as for men, their skin is only slightly rough on the beard area, rest is as sensitive and prone to reactions.”He continues, “The main ingredient of thesefairness lotions is bleach, so you can understand how people turn fair. And itis just that, that causes all the harm.”Warning of the use ofthese fairness creams in the long run, Dr Vij says, “The obviousside-effect is thinning of the skin. Daily use of these creams leads to the skinlosing its tightness and becoming thinner in return. Growth of acne is anotherharm that these creams cause to the skin.”Elaborating further,he says, “Also, most fairness cream consumers are unaware of thephotosensitive reaction which these creams cause. Due to this the more exposedone is to the sun, worse one’s skin condition becomes. This would meananything from getting pink and red rashes – the degree of which would varyfrom person to person to sun burns, blisters, itchiness to burning sensation,each time the person steps out in the sun.“Such a skin, thathas become photosensitive, could also lead to one having problems if he went infor any kind of packs or massage treatments, for those oils or packs couldfurther react on the skin.”So how much time do these reactionstake to show up? “It varies. For someone, it could react immediately, foranother it could take months to show signs of a deteriorating skin,” hesays.In that case, the best way to acquire a fair skin is “bydoing away with the pigmentation,” advises Dr Vij. “Fairness creamsonly hide them, but that’s definitely not a permanent treatment andthat’s the reason why people are tempted to use them regularly. It’simportant that people realise that bleach can never avoid photosensitivity,which is a big problem once one is struck with it.”So as apiece of another advice, Dr Vij adds, “All fairness creams are bad,period. Therefore, it’s advisable to keep away from them completely.However, to avoid tanning and dry skin, go for sunscreens, moisturisers andhomemade packs as they are more effective and come with no side-effectswhatsoever."