Ms Othniallina Addo, Head of Beauty Department from 2nd Image International, has revealed that the use of bleaching pills by some pregnant women to lighten the skin of their unborn babies can cause irreversible skin disorders to them.
She said it could even lead to long-term consequences like damage to the liver and kidney because there were some chemicals that, when absorbed into the body, damage the kidney and liver gradually.
Ms Addo told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Tema, that, “sometimes, right from the womb, the child develops a kidney or liver problem because of the chemicals, although people say fair skin children are not strong.”
Ms Addo explained that the skin of newborn babies was delicate and fragile, so the application of bleaching products made the skin very light and prone to many skin disorders like acne, and rashes because of the harsh chemicals.
She mentioned that people who usually did that were those who had bleached and were scared of giving birth to babies with dark skin due to low self-esteem.
The Head of the Beauty Department of 2nd Image International said ignorance was one of the key factors constituting why some people bleached the skin of the babies because they thought newborn babies, usually fair, would be fair as they age.
She said skin bleaching, in general, was an act of making melanin, which was a protective colour pigment the skin produced inactive saying, the melanin shielded the skin against rays from the sun.
“Any immune system disorder, your healing slows down, especially when there is a cut and if you are not lucky and you have diabetes, it becomes more difficult or a wound to heal,” Ms Addo explained.
She urged pregnant women to refrain from bleaching the skins of unborn children and stick to doctors’ advice.
