It is known that some skin whitening creams can cause cancer

Skin whitening, or what is sometimes called skin lightening or skin bleaching, is getting more popular. For a range of reasons there are women who want to lighten their skin.

Often there is a skin pigmentation issue which causes discolouration of the face, and lightening this discolouration can improve the appearance.

However many women are not aware that skin lightening products including various brands of skin lightening cream can be very dangerous.

This is because of the ingredients used in the products to whiten skin.

One of the major reasons women wish to lighten their skin is because of uneven pigmentation. This can affect people of any skin colour, and the result is that patches of skin may be either light or darker than the surrounding colour. This is often caused by irregular production of melanin in the body.

Melanin is a skin pigment. When you go out in the sun to tan your skin goes a darker colour because your skin is attempting to protect itself from the ultraviolet rays of the sun by producing more melanin. Melanin can, to a degree, protect your skin from the effects of excess UV, but only to a degree.

Melanin also affects the colour of your eyes and hair.

Different forms of melanin, namely Eumelanin and Pheomelanin exist, and these can cause different discolouration affects on the skin.

Sometimes the skin produces too much melanin and this is referred to as hyperpigmentation. This can occur as a general darkening of the skin, or can occur in patches.

And as you age your skin also starts to produce, in some cases, what are known as age spots or liver spots, which are also dark patches on the skin.

If you’re looking to lighten your skin there is something you should be aware of before you buy any skin lightening cream.

Skin lightening creams can be dangerous, but not all of them.

Skin whitening, or skin bleaching, is not easy. In the past, and to some extent today, powerful chemicals are required to produce this effect. Unfortunately some of these are known to be dangerous to our health.

One particularly pernicious ingredient found in many skin lightening products is hydroquinone. Studies have shown that hydroquinone can cause cancer, and it is now banned in skin products in a number of countries. However there are still countries which allow the use of hydroquinone in skin care products.

Steroids are also commonly found in many of these products. I’m sure you know about some of the health risks of using steroids.

Cancer is not the only risk from using some of these dangerous skin lightening products. There are also risks to your skin including uneven pigmentation, thinning of the dermal layer, marks which look like stretchmarks, persistent acne and allergic reactions.

Mercury can also be found in some skin lightening products, and we are sure, that like steroids, you’re aware of the health risks of Mercury. And those listed above are not the only dangerous ingredients found in skin lightening products.

In the US the FDA has released a warning that “over-the-counter (OTC) skin bleaching drug products are not generally recognized as safe and effective”.

So if many skin lightening products can be dangerous what options do you have? The good news is that modern research is finding natural ingredients which are effective at lightening the skin and are quite safe to use.

The best safe skin lightening cream uses a purely natural ingredients called Extrapone Nutgrass as the active agent. The effectiveness of this ingredient was discovered entirely by accident.

Research was being undertaken on the use of Extrapone Nutgrass to reduce skin irritation, however it was noticed that those who were using it experienced a lightening of the colour of the skin. So the scientists investigated why and found out that Extrapone Nutgrass also helps reduce the amount of melanin in the skin.

Extrapone Nutgrass is a natural ingredients that does not have issues of safety, and the best natural whitening cream uses Extrapone Nutgrass as the active ingredient. Read the rest of this entry

Skin whitening creams can have their problems

There are millions of women looking for an effective skin whitening product. Women search for a skin whitening cream for many reasons, however in many cases they are unaware that there may be quite severe side-effects and health problems from using whitening products.

Skin lightening can be attractive for a range of reasons, including problems of hyperpigmentation, acne marks, dark spots and other skin pigmentation problems, or even skin problems caused by excessive exposure to the sun. However various skin bleaching products may well be risky to use.

There has been some publicity lately about the use of lightening creams that contain a particular drug called hydroquinone. Hydroquinone has been linked to cancer as well as to some skin conditions which actually produce darkening of the skin rather than the desired result, namely lightening. The US FDA now require this drug to be used under medical supervision, and it is banned in Europe.

Hydroquinone is used in over 100 skin lightening and skin bleaching products.

And the FDA has also listed other skin lightening products as unsafe as well, including ammoniated mercury.

Using a lightening cream can reduce some of the skin’s natural protection from sunburn, thereby increasing the risk of skin cancer from excess UV exposure.

It is quite clear that many of the companies that manufacture a wide range of personal products including many skin care products are completely prepared to use ingredients in their products that may be harmful to our health. In fact in the US many personal products contain ingredients that are banned in Europe.

So what do you do if you’re looking for a solution to skin lightening? You find a natural skin whitening cream that doesn’t contain harmful ingredients, and which does make use of a naturally occurring substance that is highly effective at whitening skin and which is safe to use on the skin.

Does such a product exist? Yes it certainly does. There is an excellent natural skin whitening cream which is safe to use and which uses a naturally occurring plant sourced ingredient.

The plant is called Extrapone Nutgrass, or just nutgrass. It has been used by ancient societies for generations and is also used in Chinese medicine for a range of different uses.

What does nutgrass have to do with skin lightening? Originally Extrapone Nutgrass was studied for use as an anti irritant for the skin. However during the research it was discovered that use of nutgrass can reduce production of melanin in the skin, a darkening pigment, by anything up to 40 percent.

And not only that, as previously mentioned, it also has a role in reducing skin irritation, so it is very soft on your skin.

As nutgrass reduces the production of melanin it slowly has the effect of whitening the skin as the amount of melanin in the skin gradually reduces. And it does this without bleaching the skin or putting your risk of health issues such as cancer. It has no harmful side effects.

Xtend Life, who make this unique natural skin lightening cream, have a proud record of producing anti aging skin care products that are highly effective at combating the effects of ageing on the skin, keeping wrinkles to a minimum and keeping the skin healthy. And they have used many of the same ingredients in their whitening day cream as they use in their other excellent natural skin care products, so use of this product will have a range of benefits for your skin.

Sorry if it comes as bad news to you that traditional skin whitening creams make use of ingredients which might ultimately lead to cancer. But it’s better to know the truth than to carry on using them. Read the rest of this entry