The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has warned Nigerians against using bleaching creams on a regular basis.
He warned that bleaching creams posed serious risks to human health.
Adeyeye spoke at the Nigerian Health Journalists Association media sensitization workshop on the dangers of bleaching creams and regulatory control on Friday in Ibadan.
According to him, some of the adverse effects of bleaching creams include cancer, organ damage, skin irritation and allergies, skin burns and rashes, wrinkles, premature aging of the skin and prolonged wound healing.
She said NAFDAC has organized a sensitization workshop for health journalists in different zones of Nigeria, which in the southwest edition in Ibadan is the fourth in Nigeria.
“NAFDAC will continue to recognize the partnership, participation and important role of journalists in bringing the dangers of chronic whitening cream use to the masses through its various platforms,” she said.
Adeyeye added that NAFDAC has conducted multiple raids on manufacturers, stores and retail outlets for whitening cosmetics to fulfill its mandate to protect the health of the nation.
She said NAFDAC would tighten monitoring of spas in the country and increase awareness campaign about the dangers of constant use of whitening creams.
“We found that many Spas operators are not aware that mixing different ingredients, organic or inorganic to create cosmetics can cause adverse effects on consumers.
“Nigerians should know that black is beautiful and they don’t need to bleach their skin to please anyone,” he warned.
In addition, Ms. Roseline Ajayi, Director of NAFDAC’s South West Zone, highlighted the need for NAFDAC to build capacity and strengthen cosmetovigilance, a concept of safety control of cosmetic products.
According to him, this refers to the post-marketing monitoring of adverse effects of cosmetic products.
Ajayi added that the increased adoption of cosmetic products in developed and developing countries will stimulate the growth of the global market for such products.
“The risks associated with cosmetic products have increased the need for cosmetovigilance services,” she said. Commenting, Dr. Leonard Omukpriola, Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, NAFDAC, said that prolonged use of cosmetics products can harm the human body, either topically or systemically, especially when applied or skin To be applied.
Omokpariola warned that chemicals in some beauty products “are endocrine disruptors,” saying it could lead to early puberty and lower sperm count in men due to high estrogenic activity.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the awareness workshop included technical sessions, lectures, presentations on the dangers of chronic use of whitening creams, questions and answers, among others.
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