NAFDAC Warns Against Usage of Bleaching Cream

The idea of changing skin colour, most expecially from dark tone to a lighter shade has increasingly become a trend among women and few numbers of men .

These set of people are tagged " Coats of many colours" meaning that each part of the skin has different shade, just like having different colours of paint on a picture. Hardly would you not meet five of ten ladies whom all of a sudden have turned yellow with the help of bleaching cream and soap.

While substantial number of users during the door to door interview session claimed to be using organic/ natural products, which later turned out to contain some bleaching chemicals, some of the manufacturers noted an high demand of fast tonning cream from buyers. 

According to the World Health Organisation report in 2018, the use of bleaching cream is prevalent among 77 per cent of Nigerian women, which is the highest in Africa compared to 59 per cent in Togo.

This scary statistics however prompted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, to write NAFDAC pointing at the need to take stringent regulatory action against the rampant cases of some Nigerians using bleaching creams in the year 2022.

NAFDAC claimed to" immediately took some decisive steps, such as sensitisation of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in trade fair complexes that have resulted in large seizures and destruction of violative products. One such sensitisation action was the commencement of media sensitisation workshops organised for journalists in Abuja, Lagos and Kano".

The sensitization campaign continues as the agency recently organised a one day media campaign for health reporters in South West zone, Nigeria.

The one day workshop which had about 50 journalists in attendance was primarily aimed at improving and empowering   newsmen with knowledge and skills to play prompt line role in supporting the agency's mission to eradicate the menace of bleaching creams and promote a nation free of skin diseases.

Held in the House of Chiefs State Secretariat, Agodi Ibadan, journalists were urged to use different approach to take the "No to Bleaching Cream Campaign" to the grassroot level in the states in the zone.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who made the call in her welcome remarks stated that black is beautiful. 

Speaking on the theme tagged, “I’m Black and Proud", Adeyeye stressed that bleaching creams damage vital organs in the body, causes skin irritation, allergy, skin burn, rashes, wrinkles and leads to prolong healing of wounds.

Also speaking at the event,  Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the Director, of the South-West Zone of NAFDAC, noted that the agency needed to carefully look into the  post marketing surveillance of negative effects of cosmetics, stressing that the risks associated with cosmetics products have elevated the need for cosmetovigilance services.

Ajayi  however called on NAFDAC to build capacity and strengthen Cosmetovigilance service.

Dr Leonard Omokpariola, the Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, at NAFDAC, who described cosmetics as mixtures of chemical compounds or ingredients applied on skin and hair to improve the appearance/ or scent added that the prolonged usage of it  could cause harm to the human body, either topically or systemically, especially when used or applied to the skin.

In the same vein, NAFDAC needs to visit  on schools, markets, religious centers to enlighten the masses on the risk associated with the use of bleaching cream and how it can affect the future.