A World Health Organisation study in 2018 revealed that the use of skin bleaching cream is prevalent amongst 77 percent of Nigerian women, which is the highest in Africa compared to 59 percent in Togo, 35 percent in South Africa, and 27 percent in Senegal.

These scary statistics have shown that the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faceted regulatory approach. Discovered by medical experts that these creams cause damage to vital organs in the body, skin irritation, allergy, skin burn, rashes, wrinkles, and prolonged healing of wounds.
To buttress this, the national food and drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently lament over the proliferation of “Dangerous” and “Unregulated” bleaching cream in the market which it likened to a pandemic.
It is against this backdrop, a consultant, family physician Dr onifade Adefunmilola of the federal medical center, Lokoja, Kogi State expressed worries over the use of bleaching cream as a large percentage of people including men and women, children are not also left out in the use of this harmful substances.

She disclose that these creams contain certain chemicals that are harmful to the body if constantly used, adding that there are some recommended creams by doctors to patients just for a particular period and such products should not be purchased without a doctor’s prescription.
Dr. Onifada said it affects the skin and penetrates to cause blood vessels and also damages the kidney organ of the body
Dr.Onifade Adefunmilola affirmed that the bleaching creams contain mercury that is poisonous and could cause memory loss, speaking, the body, peeling off the skin, itching, redness, and skin turning blue-black thereby exposing the veins, that destroys the cells of the skin that produces Melanin pigment in skin among others.
She admonished that policies should be put in place to clamp down on sales of these products, except in cases where a doctor prescribed it
She advised people to stay away from such products that are harmful to their health and urged them to be proud of their skin color

