Medical Doctors Consider Wooing Legislators over Regulation of Bleaching Cream

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Medical Doctors Consider Wooing Legislators over Regulation of Bleaching Cream

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If move by medical doctors in Nigeria to meet with the National Assembly to make law regulating the production and use of bleaching cream in the country pulls through, then better days lie ahead for medical practitioners and users of the product.The doctors, supported by the Nigerian Association of Dermatologists, spoke through the Chairman of the Abuja Dermatology Society, Dr. Mohammed Danmallam, made this public on Thursday at a press conference marking the celebration of the World Skin Health Day.Danmallam said: “Speaking of legislation, what we are trying to do now is to try to talk to the health committees so that we can see how they can help us in formulating laws and one of the ways to do that is that we are currently conducting an investigation in collaboration with some African countries.“We are trying to come out with statistics and facts so that when we sit down with these legislators, we will be able to give them facts that can convince them and so we can move ahead. You will be surprised by the level and number of people and highly placed people that are currently bleaching unnecessarily.”While delivering his speech titled: ”˜Skin Conditions: Early Presentation Prevents Complications’, Danmallam revealed that the law operating in some countries do not allow the use of hydroquinone, a raw material for the production of bleaching cream.He mentioned that in the United States, hydroquinone was not allowed to be used unlike in Nigeria, where bleaching agents are used without any regulation.Danmallam also said: “Countries of the world have banned a lot of substances for example, hydroquinone which is the most abused chemical component used in bleaching the skin. It is banned in Europe.“About two per cent of its use was the limit but now it has been banned completely. It is still allowed in the United States but only based on prescription. Unfortunately, we live in a country where everything is prescription-free. “As dermatologists, there are conditions we treat. We treat blemishes but we know the dosage, the side effects and when to stop but in our environment, people go out of their way to use it in a manner that is not seen anywhere in the world.”The chairman held that the act of skin toning and bleaching are same because both make the skin liable to infection. His informed professional advice had it that bleaching kill mature cells and expose the baby cells, incapable of protecting the skin from infection like cancer at the top skin layer.“Imagine leaving your house in the hands of your five-year-old child. Of course, you know there will be chaos. So, this is particularly what happens and this corrosive agent changes the architecture of your skin completely. That is exactly what happens and that is where the problem starts and at some point, it becomes irreversible and the defense mechanism of the skin has becomes useless,” Danmallam said.He urged Nigerians to stop self-medication, adding that they should seek the help of a dermatologist whenever they have problems.The chairman said that lateness in reporting skin conditions could lead to irreparable damage.

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