Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD Used to help minimize dark spots, decrease the signs of aging and even-out the complexion—and even to lighten the complexion, millions of women use bleaching and lightening creams on the skin. A California woman is now permanently injured from using a tainted and poisonous skin lightening cream.
Skin lightening creams can be used to help improve several skin conditions. Inflammation can leave dark spots after acne, called post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. These unsightly spots can be more problematic than the acne itself, and bleaching and lightening creams can greatly improve their appearance.
Skin lightening creams are also helpful in treating conditions like melasma, which can leave unsightly dark patches on the cheeks and forehead, as well as to help lighten scars and reduce the signs of aging and sun damaged skin. Unfortunately, some people use these creams to lighten the skin, even when there is no medical issue to be addressed. As detailed in this New York Times story, many women with darker skin use skin lightening and bleaching creams to ‘become more beautiful and desirable,’ improve their social status, and improve their societal privilege.
Poisonous Skin Lightening Creams
A California woman was poisoned from mercury in a skin lightening cream that she was using. According to the CDC, this is the first known case in the US of contamination of a skin lightening cream with methylmercury. The 47-year-old Sacramento woman initially sought medical help because of tingling and numbness that she was feeling in her upper extremities.
Over the next 2 weeks, though, the woman developed blurry vision, slurred speech and problems walking. She was admitted to a hospital and worsened and developed an agitated mental state. She is was also unable to care for herself and required a feeding tube. Hospital testing found that the woman’s blood contained high levels of methylmercury, which is toxic and can cause permanent damage to the nervous system.
It turns out that the woman had been using skin lightening cream from Mexico, twice daily, for the last 7 years. When her skin lightening cream, Pond’s Rejuveness, that she’d acquired in Mexico, was analyzed, it was found to have 12,000 parts per million of methylmercury. It’s illegal in the US to sell skin creams that contain more than 1 ppm of mercury! The skin cream had been tainted with mercury after its manufacturing.
In the last 10 years, there have been more than 60 cases of poisonings from mercury tainted skin creams, though those contained a less toxic form of mercury as seen in the above case. Mercury is put into skin lightening creams since it inhibits the production of melanin, which causes skin lightening and anti-freckle effects. Mercury is poisonous, causing a range of symptoms including depression, tingling, tremors, numbness, fatigue, weakness and damage to the central nervous system. Unfortunately, mercury can also poison children and infants simply by interacting with people who have used the tainted cream.
Safely Using Skin Lightening Creams
If you’re looking for a cream to safely lighten dark spots or blemishes, products with hydroquinone and vitamin C are generally considered safe when used as directed. Other products that can be used to safely lighten dark spots include those with tranexamic acid.
