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| External application of Beauty products can't cover up the Ugly truth! | | COSMETICS AND YOUR HEALTH | | Dr. Pragya Khanna
With enhancement in per capita income and consequent swing towards Western lifestyle, Indians have begun spending more on personal grooming. The desire to look attractive, gorgeous and in good physical shape besides being beautiful, is on the rise. All these factors, coupled with near obsession of the Indians for fair skin, have given a record impetus to the Indian fairness market in the past few decades.
Banking on the opportunity, the big cosmetic companies in India started launching their fairness products and other beauty accessories as early as near the beginning of 70's targeting the middle class, and as expected the brands turned out to be huge success. Later, recognizing the Indian opinion of herbs and 'Ayurved' the products were differentiated on the basis of the ingredients used i.e., Kashmiri saffron and milk used in the preparation.
Now let's contemplate on the fascination and craze of the Indian consumer for whitening creams. Generally, many people consider the first culprit as the British Raj that hammered into people's heads a mental model where light skin means greater affluence and social mobility. Building upon that attitude, modern creative marketing minds developed domestic brands that spread the influential perception that careers and matrimonial prospects go up when skin tones go down. One truism is that societies across the world have used physical appearance to convey status. However, the problem lies in the fact that generally these products do not disclose their ingredients completely or the percentage of the contents. And while using them we are not bothered to read the labels or ingredients of these products. Even if so, we may not understand what they all meant too.
A truth revealed is that most of the skin lightening products contain strong steroids like cortico- steroids and clobetasol propionate, which is advisable to be used only under a dermatologist's prescription. Using the creams with steroids may end up with some other side effects like permanent stretch marks, pimples, darkening of the skin, skin-allergy and disfiguration etc.
The strong-version fairness creams also contain hydroquinone, a chemical which has the bleaching affect. It can severely harm the skin which may lead to white patches and sun sensitivity. Products with more than four percent hydroquinone, will only help to blemish the skin.
Fairness creams also boast about the Vitamin contents which can nourish the skin. But the derivatives of Vitamins like Koiic acid and Retinoic acid contained in them, make the skin intolerant towards the sun. They also provide rashes, if over used. These products may also contain high level of mercury which may cause hazards even to the nervous system. Such products never convert a person snow white, as the fairness of the skin is purely genetic and we cannot alter our genetic makeup. We must know how a person gets skin colour. There is a pigment in the body called Melanin. Now more the melanin in the skin the darker the skin is. Melanin has its own useful effects like it blocks cancer causing rays of the sun so you would find that coloured people get less skin cancer than white people and also coloured people get less sun burns. Now fairness creams block the Secretion of the melanin in the skin thus making it less coloured.
There are also a variety of permanent cosmetics and cosmetic treatments available in the Indian cosmetic market which can be used to create permanent make-up-like effects like one could have permanent eyeliner on their eyelid by getting it tattooed onto the eyelid. Some ladies also like to get permanent eyebrows. Such procedures are also referred to as cosmetic tattooing.
The history of makeup spans at least 6,000 years in human history of almost every society on our planet. If you are concerned about the ingredients in makeup these days, just wait till you read about what both men and women have put on their skin over the ages in the past and the price they paid.
The initial archaeological evidence, dated from 4,000 BC, of cosmetic tradition was found in ancient Egypt where excavated tombs exposed great numbers of cream jars. Due to the hot, drying climate both men and women used cream like substance which softened the skin, prevented burning in the sun and limited damage from the sandy winds.
Ancient Egyptians believed makeup did more than just improve their natural features. They believed their detailed eye makeup could ward off evil spirits and improve the sight; even the poor wore eye make-up. They decorated their eyes by applying dark green to the under lid and using kohl to outline the eyes, creating that alluring almond-eye look. Kohl is made up of lead, copper, burned almonds, soot, and other ingredients including galena (which has disinfectant qualitites).
Kohl shielded the eyes against the sun and acted as a deterrent to flies. Ancient Egyptian Physicians prescribed the use of kohl against eye disease. The green coloring was acheived by crushing malachite, a copper ore that has a vibrant green color.
Ancient Egyptians used a type of rouge to stain their lips and cheeks. To create this staining effect they pinched out purple-red colour from iodine and bromine. Regrettably, this mixture of deadly ingredients led to serious diseases and came to be known as 'the kiss of death'.
Henna, a dye obtained from the leaves and shoots of the henna shrub and native to parts of Africa, was used to paint their nails and color their hair. The colour and condition of nails have long been an indication of social status. Henna was also used as a healing plant and for cleansing and cooling the skin.
Even Platus, a Roman philosopher, 254-184 BC wrote, "A woman without paint is like food without salt." Though, makeup has not always held an accepted place in society and has travelled a roller coaster ride to present day acceptance.
During the European Middle Ages, pale skin was a sign of wealth. Women sought drastic measures to achieve that look by bleeding themselves. During the Italian Renaissance, lead paint was used to lighten the face, which was very damaging to the wearer. Aqua Toffana was a popular face powder made from arsenic. The history of makeup shows the most dangerous beauty aids were white lead and mercury. These not only eventually ruined the skin but also caused hair loss, stomach problems, the shakes, and could even cause death. Although these dangers became known, the majority of women continued to use these deadly whiteners.
Continuing our history of lipstick, in 1884, perfumers in Paris introduced the first modern lipstick. It was wrapped in silk paper and made with deer tallow, castor oil and beeswax. The real evolution in the history of makeup actually began during the 1910's. By then, women made their own form of mascara by adding hot beads of wax to the tips of their eyelashes. During the early years of the 20th century, make-up became fashionable in America and Europe due to the influence of ballet, theatre and, the most influential new development of all, the movie industry in Hollywood.
The popularity of silent films promoted the use of lipstick, as women in those films wore black lipstick. It was also around this time in the history of makeup the first push-up tubes of lipstick were invented. The newly emancipated woman of America began to display her independence by free use of red lipstick which was often scented with cherry. In today's world, a woman has literally hundreds of cosmetics to choose from, with a wide variety of colours and uses.
Coming today's world and according to latest News "Women may have been unwittingly slathering poison on their faces by using mercury-tainted cosmetics", the Food and Drug Administration warned on Tuesday 6th Mar. 2012".
The products, usually used for lightening skin, are sold as soaps, skin creams, and lotions. In all, the FDA has identified 35 products, most of them manufactured overseas, and most sold in Latino, Middle Eastern, African-American, and Asian neighborhoods.
Do this simple exercise on a few of the personal care products you and your loved ones use on an everyday basis. It could be your toothpaste, shampoo or a moisturizing cream or deodorant. See how many of the toxic ingredients listed in the table below you can find in your cosmetics and personal care products. Here is a typical list on a jar of common hand cream: Water, - Stearic Acid, - Sorbitol, - Glycerin, - C-12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, - Sodium Borate - TEA, - Cetyl Alcohol, - Dimethicone, - Aloe Vera, - Phenoxyethanol, - Propylene Glycol, - Quince Extract, - Tocopheryl Acetate, - Potassium Sorbate, - EDTA, - Allantoin, - Methyl Paraben, - Propyl Paraben, - Butyl Paraben, - Menthol.
Remember this is just a partial list of the tens of thousands of chemicals in common use - some 85,000 of them now at last count! Considering every man, woman, and child slathers, sprays, or rubs on nearly 10 different cosmetics and personal-care products on any given day, the safety of the basic ingredients in these products-and their impact on our health and the environment-is a pressing issue with much at stake.
Your cosmetic cabinet may contain potentially toxic, harmful, poisonous, and even carcinogenic, cancer-causing ingredients and they may be in your toothpaste, shampoo, mouthwash, saving cream, skin care, feminine products, and more. Many commonly used products contain potentially harmful ingredients, which are made up of very small molecules that may penetrate the skin, enter the blood stream, and build up in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and tissues.
It is fact that many people are so innocent about these side effects that they are not able to find out the real cause of their health problems. It is no doubt to say that beauty means good health. But some of the harmful synthetic cosmetics containing various chemicals affect the body health and the beauty of many persons who are hypersensitive to those things. |
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