Dermatologist shave urged people who use cosmetics to exercise caution because some contain harmful substances which can affect the skin.
Many think lotions with hydroquinone are the only ones designed to bleach skin, but there are many other substances which are not shown on the list of ingredients which are more harmful than hydroquinone.
Hydroquinone was banned on the Rwandan market but it is still available according to Dr Françoise Gahongayire, a dermatologist from Kigali Dermatology Centre.
There is a long list of bleaching substances which most people don’t know, including Corticosteroids which is mostly available in some cosmetics like Mediven and Mercury among others, she said.
Each of these substances has its specific side effects on the skin including having dark or red points on the skin, skin infections like rashes and light skin, she said.
Lightening lotions
Dermatologists say three quarters of lightening lotions can harm the health of the skin except lightening hyper hydro acid lotions, which are extracted from fruits like Bioderma and others.
Other lightening lotions which are not made from fruits can have side effects on the skin.
Skin bleaching products not only cause negative impacts on the skin, some can even cause other health problems, Dr Gahongayire said.
For example, Mercury can harm the kidneys and other body organs, corticoids can cause blood pressure and diabetes and the skin cracks up.
At the beginning, the skin looks good but as the time goes on, the negative effects show up.
Dr Kimonyo, a dermatologist at Le Plateau clinic says some of the side effects can be cured, but others persist depending on the type of cosmetics used or the length of the time they have been used.
"Sometimes those who completely change their colour in a very short time by mixing all these substances are very hard to cure,” she says.
How to take care of the skin
In order to have a good skin, dermatologists advise washing at least 2 times a day and apply lotions which match the skin without any lightening substance.
"Many people think beauty is about having a light skin and choose to bleach yet it causes negative effects in the future. People have to be careful with lotions because some don’t have any indication of any harmful ingredients yet they have other harmful substances which is not hydroquinone,” Dr Kimonyo warned.
"Manufacturers are aware that people think that hydroquinone is the only substance which bleaches the skin. For Now, they put "without hydroquinone” on the lotion packages yet there are other harmful ingredients which mislead clients.”
Philip Nzayire, the Director of Quality Assurance Unit at Rwanda Standards Bureau said fighting against cosmetics is a long process.
The ministerial order sets the standards of acceptable cosmetics in Rwanda, and others which are not allowed unless they are prescribed by doctors, he said.
However, illegal products enter the Rwandan market despite the efforts used to prevent it, he said.
"We check cars and trucks at borders, we also conduct such controls at the airport. The products which pass through MAGERWA are well checked, but they are some others which are loaded into personal luggage, which sometimes get through borders and airports,” he said.
Rwanda Standards Bureau partners with other institutions including Ministry of Health and security organs to prevent them from harming the population by removing them from the market, he said.
Sometimes they carry out operations in markets and when they find those kinds of cosmetics, they are taken away, Nzayire said, adding that such measures are sometimes difficult because when traders get to know that a control is going on, they hide the products.
"Consumers should be careful with what they buy, by reading all ingredients written on the package and see if they won’t cause any harm to their health, especially on their skin. They shouldn’t use these products without the approval of medical professionals.”
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