Scary Skin and Beauty Products

Skin has many types. Some have skin types that can easily react to substances that come in contact with the skin. Reaction varies from itching to swelling of some parts or the entire body.

A friend went to work last Saturday and told me that she has allergy. Allergy to what, I asked her. I saw that her face was red and the part around the eyes looked puffy. The previous night she applied a recognized facial whitening cream, an effort to lessen the freckles that had increased and are becoming noticeable because of their color. The result was an itchy and inflamed face the morning after.

She went to work today and she looks worse. An appointment with clients forced her to go to work. She had to see a doctor yesterday because she woke up (after trying Iterax and Claritin) with a swollen face and eyes that were like slits already. The redness and itchiness were spreading to her throat. That sounded scary to me because she could have difficulty breathing if her larynx became swollen, too, because of the reaction. Her doctor gave her Celestamine and a medication to be applied externally on her face.

We all have to be extra careful applying elements on our face and body. My friend did not learn her lesson well when she had a bad experience with a facial product that has hydroquinone and melanin. Her facial skin is hypersensitive and should have tried first dabbing a small amount on her wrist to see if there will be a reaction. She should have tried also seeing an allergist to get an advice on what is best for her face.

I told my friend that she should have filed a complaint. These products must be banned because there was no warning or sufficient info for the consumers. She told me that it wouldn’t be necessary because her doctor told her that complaints were already filed before. It was even a topic of an exposé in television months ago. I wonder what happened to the complaints because these products are still being sold in the market.

14 thoughts on “Scary Skin and Beauty Products

  1. With the number of skin care products being marketed today, there’s bound to be a few that would cause allergic reaction in some people. Problem is, people will readily believe what they see and hear in the commercials.

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  2. ah…. the price of vanity tita bing. why cant ppol just let themselves age gracefully? im guessing its just human nature to want to stay unblemished and to always look young……. que sera sera.

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  3. Her condition is frightening. I recently blog on a famous brand which saw people asking for refund and the follow-up article mentioned that in China, people were angry when they knew about it and some turned amock – smashing office windows, etc. That’s how they do it in other countries. It was manufactured in Japan and even the offices there and in another country have to be closed because of a long queue of protesters. Sa atin kasi, tahimik na lang tayo kasi ‘walang mangyayari’ kung ihabla pa. Which I think is wrong kaya tuloy patuloy pa rin ang mga ganyang negosyo.

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  4. hi, jepoi! how are you? actually, she’s not vain. you cant classify her as that. the freckles are becoming so obvious maybe that’s why she thought of trying the cream.

    really frightening, ipanema. the smooth skin of her face became coarse and itchy and red.

    the nonchalance of most filipinos stemmed from bureaucracy and corruption rampant in most of the government agencies. cant blame them though, masasayang lang ang pagod at pera.

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  5. What your friend had gone through is so scary for me, you could say I have a phobia on this that I am not wont to use anything on my skin except if its soap or lotion that is already being used by many on a daily basis. Its always safe to try a new product, especially if its not as commonly used, on some other part of the body like the skin on the arm or on the nape, and see if there would be complications or allergic reactions.

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  6. ha ha ven men are vain, too, toe. 🙂

    on the other hand, major tom, the product she used is well-known. it’s not a new product. it’s just that there are skin types that need extra caution before applying anything on them.

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  7. Your friend should file a complaint to DTI (i guess the consumer protection dept) or get help from the consumer protection groups.

    The reason why this product is still being sold is that maybe, no one is coming out against this product.

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  8. allergic reactions are definitely scary! people who have allergies should take super super duper extra care!

    especially with skin products – they put all sorts of mutagens in there to modify ur skin structure.

    there was a news in england where a girl died because she was allergic to peanuts and she kissed her boyfriend who ate peanut butter hours earlier.

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  9. That is scary nga. You’re right. She should have applied a small amount on another part of her body before applying it on her face. I see that on labels of beauty products here. That cream should also have that label.

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  10. i told her that but she is so busy she cant find time. and besides, myepinoy, she thinks it would be futile to spend time if nothing happens to a worthy cause.

    yay!will, that is truly scary, to die with something one can avoid.

    there are a lot of requirements that should be enumerated, irene, but consumers dont care as well as the manufacturers.

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  11. Bing, I’ve lost count of the number of horror stories I have read in newspapers and seen on TV about women wanting to get prettier, only to wake up like lady Frankensteins or, worse, die on operating tables. Up to now, I’ve not read of anybody being convicted or made liable for harmful cosmetics and beauty products or faulty procedures.

    Many years ago, an Ilongga died because something went wrong when she underwent liposuction. The news made the headlines; the doctor offered to pay millions of pesos in damages, the family refused and sued. Now, about 8 years since that tragedy, the family’s asking for a settlement of a few hundred thousands and the doctor has refused to pay up. As we say here, “pera na, natunaw pa”. I think the non-action has embolden all these quack doctors and manufacturers.

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  12. i know that news, bugs, still young to die tsk tsk and what saddened me is the thought that her death was a result of vanity. that is sad news, too, about the family changing their mind to pursue the case. kakalungkot na kakainis.

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