Health & Fitness :Skin creams and kidney disease
By Kemi Ilori
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Sometimes, it seems extremely remote to people that damaging health conditions can result from their actions.
The use of skin creams, which have been implicated in kidney disease is one such case. It is now common knowledge that some of the chemicals that are used in some cosmetic creams are harmful chemicals.

Despite this knowledge, most people do not bother to find which are the “unwanted chemicals”. Worse still, fewer people bother to read the list of content on the container of their body cream.

I am writing about this because of a recent high profile case which was cited in the press. Some individuals are just unlucky victims of lack of information about products they use (maybe for medical purposes). Some other people indulge in the use of dangerous creams for cosmetic purposes. It may surprise some people, but it is true that the skin is one of the major routes of entry of various things into the body.

Why? It is simply because the skin is our outer covering and covers the whole of our entire body. As a result, the skin is the largest organ of the body. It has been shown that 60 per cent of what is applied to the skin enters the body and ends up in our blood stream. I will describe two chemicals which are lethal to the kidney and can use the skin is an important entryway to the body.

Mercury: This is a very toxic substance which can be found in creams in two forms; a) antiseptic creams, ointments and preservatives b) Skin lightening creams. Both uses of mercury salts are not lawfully allowed anymore by the Food and Drug administration of most countries. The use of mercury in skin lightening creams is non – approved. It is usually used as the mercuric iodide salt. They can permanently damage the kidney causing complete renal failure.

High levels of mercury have also been implicated in kidney tumors. Mercury affects other organs of the body as well such as the brain, developing foetus in the womb, etc. It is however important to mention that we can come in contact with mercury in other forms e.g. in contaminated shellfish, some electrical switches and flourescent light bulb, etc.

However, direct application of mercury containing creams or soaps is a direct act of self- inflicted contamination! The two most common sources of mercury poisoning, are by accidental ingestion and through the skin. Inorganic mercury is highly toxic to the kidney. The concentration of inorganic mercury in the kidney is directly related to the amount taken in (in our case in Nigeria, most poisoning will probably be through the skin).

The concentration of mercury in urine is usually measured to estimate the extent of a recent exposure. If the urine of a person using mercury containing skin – lightening cream is analyzed, it will have a high mercury content. Some of the mercury binds to cells in the kidney, persisting there for even a lifetime. The death of important tubule cells in the kidney also occurs after extreme toxic exposure to mercury.

Loss of these cells results in kidney malfunction including release of essential plasma proteins into urine (albuminuria) and excessive retention of water in the body tissues (oedema, which can be observed as swollen feet). Death can result from shock and kidney failure within 24 hours, but if the patient is otherwise stabilized and placed on dialysis, the kidney may eventually repair itself using the surviving cells. This latter scenario does not usually happen with skin creams.

The degeneration of the kidney is gradual and happens over a period of time. We do not have statistics that will tell us what the reality of the situation is in Nigeria, with regards to the use of mercury containing creams. I do know for sure that there must be a drastic reduction now from previous years.

This is due to the work of NAFDAC. That notwithstanding, I know some people are still breaking there necks to procure these dangerous cosmetics for personal use. Good luck to them. For the people who are interested in avoiding these toxic substances; here are some tips -> Check labels on medicines such as antiseptics, soaps, eye drops, eye ointments, nasal sprays, skin-lightening creams, and herbal preparations.

Avoid or minimize unnecessary use of those products containing any form of mercury, including mercurochrome, thimerosal (also called merthiolate), mercuric chloride, ammoniated mercuric chloride, mercuric acetate, mercuric nitrate, and mercuric iodide. Whilst I have written specifically on mercury with regards to skin cream and kidney disease today, at a later date, I will write comprehensively on mercury itself.

Hydroquinone: This is a steroid used in skin bleaching creams. 2 per cent hydroquinone was allowed in skin creams for a long tome, but even that has been discovered to be unsafe. Last year, 31st august 2006, a complete ban was proposed in America.

The official in charge had this to say, “We are acting for safety reasons,” said Susan Johnson, the associated director of the FDA's Office of Nonprescription Products. “There is potential for hydroquinone to be a carcinogen in humans.” This means that at 2 per cent , hydroquinone is not even considered safe and will no longer be allowed.

In the United Kingdom, hydroquinone had been banned since January 2001. It is a pity that the attempt to protect peoples’ health is sabotaged by some of the same people who are being protected. Black people, especially women are the highest abusers of hydroquinone. In conjunction with mercury, hydroquinone is implicated in kidney disease.

When applied to the skin in creams, hydroquinone is quickly absorbed into the blood stream and excreted slowly via the kidneys, suggesting that hydroquinone accumulates in the body. It is broken down in the bone marrow and this is where long-term damage may starts. A review published by Dr W Westerhof and T Kooyers, two of Europe's leading authorities on pigmentation in dermatology, documents the ability of hydroquinone to cause blood cancers, for example leukaemia, and kidney damage in animal studies.

If you are checking the ingredients on creams to exclude hydroquinone, make sure that you watch out for ARBUTIN as well. Arbutin is the glycoside of hydroquinone, and bearberry is a natural source of arbutin. Once in the skin arbutin releases hydroquinone. Always read the ingredients list on creams and other health and beauty products before you buy them.