Skin whitening is a huge industry as both men and women are progressively getting more conscious of their appearance. Although many manufacturers claim that their products can whiten skin despite little scientific evidence, none of them are as controversial as skin whitening injections.
In fact, it is so severe that even the Ministry of Health Malaysia has stepped in to highlight on this dubious issue.
Expressing concern over the current trend in the cosmetics and beauty industry, health authorities have warned against the use of injectable skin-whitening products that contain glutathione — a chemical used in cancer treatment.
Doctors said the abuse of glutathione, commonly prescribed to cancer patients to help them cope with the side effects of chemotherapy, has been linked to several fatal skin disorders in many countries.
Hospital Kuala Lumpur dermatologist Dr Azura Mohd Affandi also cautioned against using the chemical, as improper and unsafe injection practices can lead to communicable diseases.
“Those who administer these injections could be beauticians who are not trained in medical practice. Worse still, the equipment used may not even be properly sterilised and can cause bacterial infections, hepatitis and even HIV.”
She added that another major concern with the haphazard administration of glutathione into the body via injections is the creation of air embolism, where air bubbles enter the veins or arteries, causing a blockage that leads to shortness of breath, or worse, death.
Sustained injections of glutathione into the body, she said, can also cause the liver to stop producing the substance naturally.
Just take a look at the Instagram post above. The company has made a bogus claim saying that the whitening product could also help to make your gum appear more pink. Why would anyone even care about that though?
Umm, no thanks.
