Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Natural skin lightening creams


If you’re searching high and low for effective creams for getting rid of dry skin, there are some out there that really work. The key to quality natural topical creams for dry skin is in the ingredients. It seems that in some cases manufacturers believe that profit is actually more important than their product producing positive results.

One of the ingredients in creams for getting rid of dry skin that is used to cut costs is petrolatum. Petrolatum is supposed to be an effective moisturizing element, but it is hardly that. What the product is actually effective at is leaving your skin feeling greasy and clogging your pores, that’s about it.

Mineral oil is another petroleum derivative frequently found in natural topical creams for dry skin. Mineral oil will affect your skin much in the same way as petrolatum, with the added benefit of throwing your skins pH levels out of balance. So, why do companies add these ineffective and problematic ingredients in the first place?

The reason only has to do with money. Cosmetic companies that manufacture creams for getting rid of dry skin are focused mainly on making a reasonable profit off of their creations. Chemical additives and unnatural ingredients are much more cost effective for the company than the use of organic ingredients.

Therefore a huge number of the natural topical creams for dry skin on the store shelves are filled with chemicals. This practice is especially prevalent among the products developed by the industry “Giants”. Even the products that they produce that actually contain a few natural ingredients are not what they seem.

Many times you’ll see creams for getting rid of dry skin marketed around a standout ingredient such as collagen. Because this substance is a naturally formed protein product, the manufacturer feels free to advertise the formula as organic. What they fail to advertise is the fact that topical application of collagen has absolutely no effect on the condition of your skin.

Collagen cannot be absorbed through your skin’s pores, effectively rendering its inclusion natural topical creams for dry skin useless. The collagen that is used in cosmetics wouldn’t do you any good even if you were able to take it in. It’s actually derived from cowhide and is totally incompatible with human collagen.

Another note that they never seem to include in their marketing is the fact that collagen is so highly allergenic that people seeking injections have to pass an allergy screening in order to be approved. Why would they put something in a product that was all negative and no positive? It’s simply because the name collagen draws in the dollars.

Top skin lightening creams

The three top skin bleaching tips are:

1. Stick with natural products.
2. Just say no to chemicals.
3. Give skin lightening time.

What You Really Need to Know About Skin Lightening

Skin bleaching has to inhibit melanin. This is the pigment that makes skin darker.

1. Natural products

People in Asia were taking an herbal medicine called arbutin. They took it for general good health. Much to their surprise, they discovered it lightened their tone.

Doctors in Japan wanted to know why. They performed two different tests of Alpha Arbutin, which is a form of the herb. (You might see it called by its scientific name, 4-hydroxyphenyl alpha-glucopyranoside).

•In the first study, it reduced pigmentation in cells by 25 percent.
•In the follow-up test, they knew more about how to apply it. This time they got a 40% reduction in melanin. That means the cells were nearly half as dark.
•Alpha Arbutin got a safety stamp of approval. Cells grew with less melanin. But they otherwise grew normally.

Another natural ingredient to look for is kojic acid. It’s very gentle and safe. It comes from rice. Combined with alpha arbutin it becomes a one-two punch of natural skin lightening.

2. Just say no to chemicals.

1. The worst is hydroquinone. It comes from benzene, which is cancer-causing.
2. Animals developed cancer when scientists put hydroquinone cream on them.
3. Hydroquinone is unsafe in products left on the skin. Yet skin lightening takes repeated use over significant periods of time.
4. There’s a really scary side effect. It may cause ochronosis. The skin becomes dark and thick.
5. You can’t buy it in The European Union or Japan. It’s banned because it’s dangerous. In the US, only doctors know how to use it safely. But it’s still sold in do-it-yourself creams for skin bleaching.

Another chemical to watch out for is mercury. It’s in bleaching products made overseas. Mercury poisoning is known to cause neurological and kidney damage and may also lead to psychiatric disorders.

Remember, you have to leave this stuff on your skin a long time for it to work. Your pores are soaking up mercury, or hydroquinone.

3. Give it time

Our final skin bleaching tip logically springs from the first two tips. You must use any skin-lightener daily, consistently, and for many weeks or months. That’s why you want to know what’s in it. That’s why you want to stick with natural products and refuse to use chemicals.

safe skin lightening creams

Asians need to take special care when choosing a skin lightening product. We’ll say it right up front. Asian skin bleaching is totally safe using skin lightening products made with natural ingredients such as kojic acid, Alpha Arbutin, and Vitamin C. There are no side effects reported on Asian skin (or any other ethnic skin tone). Medical researchers sing the praises of the effectiveness.

We’ll also say right up front that anyone with Asian skin tones should stay away from hydroquinone. There can be serious side effects to Asian skin bleaching using a hydroquinone-based skin lightening product. In fact, skin color from light brown to very dark is susceptible. Many doctors refuse to use hydroquinone at all on people of color.

Doctors think Alpha Arbutin is very safe. One significant study of skin lightening products was done in Japan. Doctors in Osaka tested whether Alpha Arbutin worked as a skin lightener. The Asian doctors were impressed with the results. Alpha Arbutin inhibited melanin, which is what naturally gives Asian skin its deeper color. The doctors saw melanin decrease in new cells by 40%. On the basis of their biochemical research, the Japanese doctors wrote that alpha arbutin was safe, and effective.

The evidence against hydroquinone on darker-pigmented skin is alarming, and should be a factor in Asian skin bleaching decisions.

• An overseas study reported nerve damage in a woman using two hydroquinone-based skin fading creams for four years. Within four months of cutting out hydroquinone, the symptoms disappeared and she walked again without difficulty.

• Even if there is not that kind of crippling side effects, hydroquinone can simply backfire on Asian skin. It has turned darker-pigmented cells darker, grey, and even red or purple.

• Asians choosing a skin lightening product will note that hydroquinone has been banned in Japan.

Hydroquinone is also illegal in Great Britain. There is a very large Asian population in London. British Health Authorities actually see black market hydroquinone skin fading creams bootlegged specifically for Asian skin.

Asian skin bleaching is a not a trend but is cultural. Lighter skin in Asian society is seen as a sign of wealth and status. London Police think Asians are targeted as customers of illegal hydroquinone products. Officers recently raided an Asian importer. They found hydroquinone soap. Soap would be especially harmful. The danger that in any cut or scrapes hydroquinone will penetrate into the bloodstream to reach the liver and kidneys. There it can cause more damage.

Asians shopping for skin lightening products in the US should know that hydroquinone is still available over-the-counter and in prescription form in the US.