The skincare industry is growing every day, helping more people feel comfortable and healthy in their skin. Skin whitening is a huge part of this trend and is becoming a common practice amongst many people. Skin whitening means to alter the shade of the skin by lightening it from its natural color. This involves ridding the skin of its color pigments- also known as melanin- to lighten skin color. Melanin is the very content that makes up the color of our skin. The more melanin in our skin, the darker our skin becomes. The goal of skin whitening is to reduce the amount of melanin in our skin, resulting in a lighter skin tone.
Common Uses of Skin Whitening
The most common and well-known reason to whiten the skin is for the sake of beauty. Skin whitening techniques are commonly used by women to lighten their skin for a better look and style. Lighter skin is sometimes perceived as more attractive than darker, which leads people wanting to utilize these techniques. While fashion is a popular reason to whiten the skin, there are also medical purposes for skin whitening as well. Oftentimes, dermatologists prescribe skin whitening medication for diseases that involve discoloration or skin problems. These might include unevenness in the skin tone or random blotches of color that can be treated. There can also be marks on the skin such as visible scars left from acne. After applying skin whitening products on these areas, the pigmentation can even out and cure the skin.
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How is Skin Whitening Performed?
Skin whitening can be performed in many ways. One common, yet debatable method, is by using skin bleaching products. Skin bleaching includes applying special products and creams to the skin to reduce the amount of melanin content. Such products can include Swiss Botany's Natural Whitening Cream. While skin bleaching does lessen the pigmentation in the skin and lighten it, there are still some downfalls that should be considered.
Firstly, skin bleaching isn’t a permanent solution for whitening the skin. The reason is because our skin cells are constantly growing and renewing themselves. Therefore, we may successfully get rid of pigmentation in our current skin cells, but over time they will regenerate and the melanin content will rise again. This means that skin bleaching products must be applied again to reduce the melanin content in the current skin cells. This is a repetitive process and requires consistent application of skin bleaching products and creams.  Â
Another downfall is that there can be harmful side effects to skin bleaching, such as allergic reactions and even acne. In fact, if skin bleaching products are used incorrectly or are abused, the skin might be left with an odd, dullish color with an unnatural look. Therefore, it’s important to use skin bleaching products correctly and be careful not to misuse or overuse them.
Summary of Skin Whitening
Skin whitening has a lot of benefits for those who seek lighter skin. By reducing the amount of melanin in the skin, a lighter color is produced that can help with both beauty and medical reasons. While skin whitening does help with coloration, there may be some drawbacks with skin bleaching techniques. Using skin whitening products and creams the proper way can help prevent negative outcomes and maintain an even, lighter skin tone.
More on skin lightening, whitening, and brightening can be found here.Â