Safe Skincare Facts For African Americans- Skin Lightening

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Unfortunately, the controversial publicity surrounding Michael Jackson's trial along with disclosing his Vitiligo skin condition did little to shed an objective light on the special issues surrounding safe and effective skincare for today's informed African American.  You can rest assured the consumer cosmetic/medical manufacturers watch the same celebrity shows and read the same tabloids we do and view any media event or popstar's notorious exposure as an endorsement to market yet another "face-saving" cream or lotion to the public.  Recent statistics show a $1.5 billion ethnic Health and Beauty Care market with increased sales growth and expanding product trends in haircare (color products, relaxers, conditioners), skincare (alpha-hydroxy, fade creams, moisturizers, cleansers, shaving products) and color cosmetics. The mainstream and ethnic marketers range from Maybelline and Procter & Gamble to Carson Products and Zhen Cosmetics along with a rising number of smaller manufacturers. Clearly, among all this there's more skin lightening products for savvy black men and women to choose from, and so you must exercise more care in choosing skincare products wisely and well.

Look Good But Be Safe

There are some specialized skincare needs that people of color have. One of the most important is skin lightening in dealing with 2 main skincare pigment conditions:

• Variations in Skin Color - African American skin has larger melanosomes and these cells that determine skin color contain more of the pigment melanin than those found in Caucasian skin. In fact, African Americans have somewhat better protection from skin cancer and premature wrinkling from sun exposure due to this pigment prevalence. Some of the consumer products for lightening skin have  ingredients shown to require caution in their use:
• Hydroquinone - before using lighteners containing this ingredient, talk to your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease, have allergies to medications, or have other medical problems. Also if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment and if you are breast-feeding a baby. Additionally, avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays and don't use hydroquinone topical on skin that is sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, or irritated, or on an open wound.
• Arbutin - this is a recently developed ingredient and the MSDS (A Safety Data Sheet required by law) for it states, "Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant). Slightly hazardous in case of inhalation (lung irritant)." Skin side effects are minimal if properly used.
• Glycolic Acid - this is a powerful ingredient used in a wide variety of cosmetics. The MSDS for it warns, "Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, .Hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive), of eye contact (corrosive)." Obviously, even though the quantity may be small in a skin lightening formulation, care must be used in application of products containing this chemical.
• Kojic Acid - A popular alternative lightener ingredient to Hydroquinone; again, the MSDS reveals: "Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant). Hazardous in case of ingestion, of inhalation (lung irritant). Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or, occasionally, blistering."  So, the importance of good skincare requires attention to your skin lightener's ingredients.
• Vitiligo - this is a pigmentation disorder in which melanocytes (the cells that make pigment) in the skin are destroyed. As a result, white patches appear on the skin in different parts of the body. This condition should be treated under the care of a Dermatologist and there are several products used in it's treatment:
• Corticosteroids -   this is in a cream base and comprises a group of drugs similar to hormones such as cortisone, which are produced by the adrenal glands. These aren't as effective as the Psoralen treatment detailed below and side effects can be skin shrinkage and skin striae (streaks or lines on the skin); the thinner skin areas are most prone to these.
• Psoralen photochemotherapy - this is probably the most effective, though time-consuming, treatment available and works by repigmenting the white patches. The drug is either applied to the affected skin or taken orally and then UltraViolet light is directed to the areas being treated.  Possible side effects are severe sunburn/blistering and too much repigmentation or darkening (hyperpigmentation) of the treated patches or the normal skin surrounding the vitiligo. In addition, side effects of the oral Psoralen can include sunburn, nausea and vomiting, itching, and abnormal hair growth. The dermatologist supervising treatment is the best guide to using these methods.

This area of African American skincare, as well as ethnic beauty in general, has become very popular across the board as people of color from all over achieve prominence.  Hopefully, we will increasingly see the beauty in all peoples.