How much of a thing is it, for particularly African Americans in the show business industry to undergo skin bleaching treatments to whiten their skin?
It’s quite a big thing, according to the cosmetic surgeons and spas which offer that as a service. “You wouldn’t believe how many famous people we get in here, who go out a different color.” said one leading cosmetologist.
Of course, that’s strictly off the record, as so far, not very many of these Hollywood stars have admitted publicly to having their skin bleached.
Sometimes the change is barely noticeable, and could be blamed on a trick of the light, or Photoshop, as was Beyonce’s explanation of her Loreal advertisement.
However, it’s not just one photo in which she looks visibly lighter than she used to, and she’s not the only one.
Michael Jackson was one major celebrity who went completely white, in order to try to cover up his vitiligo, or hypo-pigmentation, a rare condition where patches of the skin lose all pigment.
Anyway, you can check out the photos, and read about some of the celebrities who “allegedly” have lightened their skin, and about how they probably did it, the chemicals involved, etc.
This early photo of Nicki Minaj looks quite different to what she looks like today. She barely even has African American features anymore. And the photo below of Rihanna makes her seem like almost a different person completely, and you can’t just blame it on makeup, hair, or lighting.
Anyway, there are various reasons why people bleach their skin including freckles, birthmarks, age spots, acne scars, burns, skin conditions like vitiligo, or cosmetic or cultural reasons.
In Asia for example, it is a status symbol to have light skin, and is seen as being more beautiful and more desirable, because the higher class women did not work in the field all day, and so did not have a dark brown tan.
Some say that the cultural reasons behind African Americans bleaching their skin white in Hollywood show racism in the wider community.
You see, it’s because studies done by record companies and TV producers have shown that the audience is less likely to watch a show or buy an album if the star is really dark in skin color, due to the fact the western audience is mostly white.
It just makes a western audience uncomfortable to walk out of a record shop holding a CD or DVD with a really dark skinned person on the front.
It can’t be proven, but based on those studies, it’s almost certain that if Obama had been naturally darker, he wouldn’t have become president.
It’s almost certain that if Beyonce or Rihanna didn’t bleach their skin, they wouldn’t have sold as many albums and reached the top of the charts.
That’s just how the sub-conscious mind of society works, and if that is the case, then at least there is an option for those who want to explore it to lighten their skin color, and give themselves a better chance in show business and perhaps in life generally.
I’m not trying to be racist, but according to the studies, the vast majority of people can’t help being somewhat racist, if that means judging people based on their appearance to be different.
How To Go About Bleaching Your Skin Safely At Home
It’s important that if you are thinking about doing something like this, you do your homework carefully, and only use safe skin bleaching treatments.
There are products out there which contain mercury and hydroquinone, which are chemicals which have been proven to have harmful side effects when used over a long period of time.
It’s important to avoid brands which contain those chemicals, and also any brand which tells you to take a pill orally to whiten your skin, as this cannot be done, or is very dangerous, and not a good way to lighten your skin.
The best type of skin bleaching cream is one that contains a good formulation with a mix of FDA approved active ingredients such as arbutin, glycolic acid, kojic acid, lactic acid, sepiwhite FSH, and ascorbic acid or vitamin C.
You should also be careful to choose a company that has an active and educated support team who are experts at skin bleaching, and who can recommend the right product and product instructions tailored for the individual.
The link in the sidebar will take you to the website of Tonique Skin Care, an American company who have been in business for over a decade, with thousands of satisfied customers.
This is apparently two photos of Lil’ Kim. Hard to believe it’s the same woman at all!
It’s not really a new thing, skin whitening and bleaching has been around for many years, going back to medieval times, and even back to the Ancient Egyptians.
Still, there has been an increase in the amount of African American movie stars and pop stars who are bleaching their skin in recent times.
Some of the most prominent Hollywood celebrities who have bee observed to be lightening their skin tone are Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and perhaps Halle Berry, (none of these are confirmed by the stars themselves).
It is very obvious in photos that something is going on, and there are many different treatments that these celebrities may be having done, ranging from skin peels to vitamin C scrubs to a full skin whitening regime from head to toe.
MIchael Jackson was one of the most famous Hollywood celebrities to bleach his skin, and the reason he did it was to cover up a condition called vitiligo, also known as hypo-pigmentation.
It’s not really vanity to bleach your skin white when there are large patches of skin all over your body that are already white, or that have lost all pigmentation.
The Skin Bleaching Process
What exactly are these celebrities using to whiten their skin? Well, it’s hard to say for individuals, because as I mentioned previously, they don’t like to talk about it publicly, but it’s easy to guess.
The best and most widely used chemicals which are available without prescription, and found in most skin whitening creams are:
- alpha arbutin
- glycolic acid (chemical peel agent)
- kojic acid
- sepiwhite FSH
The combination of these chemicals is important, but will be different which each particular brand. It’s important to buy a product like this from a trusted source, as there are some bleaching products made in Asia and Africa which contain active ingredients which are unsafe for long term use.
As the only way to maintain the results is to use every now and then on a permanent basis, this means they are very unsafe.
The chemicals I’m talking about are mercury, and hydroquinone, which have both been found to cause serious side effects when used for an extended period.
The side effects of mercury are well known, it causes brain damage, and madness. The Mad Hatter from Alice In Wonderland is making fun of the real condition that hatters used to get, as they used mercury to make the fabric in hats stiff.
With hydroquinone, this has been used in quite a lot of skin whitening products, it’s banned in some countries now, although other countries are putting out creams only available on prescription containing the chemical, even in the US!
Some misadvised doctors are actually recommending a prescription cream containing hydoquinone which causes thickening and bruising of the skin, nausea, and has even been shown to produce an increase risk of cancer in mice.
Anyway, if you stick to the safe, proven chemicals listed above, and find a brand that is subject to strict regulations, (such as the FDA regulations on any product made in the USA), then you will get the results you’re looking for, and be safe in maintaining them for perhaps the rest of your life.
Again, try the link in the sidebar, or send an email to sales@toniqueskincare.com to get the right advice if you’re thinking about bleaching your own skin.