OSHAKATI – Skin lightening products, including those that contain steroids and antibiotics, are still among dangerous products flooding the Namibian market.
Most of these products are openly sold at Oshakati Open Market and on the streets of Oshikango.
New Era can also reveal that a variety of skin lightening tablets are also in the market. The products are imported from countries such as Nigeria, neighbouring Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa.
Apart from pills and creams, some Namibians allegedly even travel abroad to get skin lightening injections.
While some of these pills are advertised on internet, one of the users who spoke on condition of anonymity claims that she buys her tablets at N$1 800 for a bottle containing 30 pills, from a vendor who imports them from Angola.
“They are very good because they work very fast and clear the whole body, unlike creams that leave you with shades. If you use them, you’ll see a major difference within five days. In my case, I prefer taking a tablet every two or three days because I don’t want to get too light,” said one user.
The New Era investigation also revealed that lightening creams are sold from as little as N$15 while the expensive ones are sold for N$65 per container or a tube of cream at the open market.
Over the years, the Namibian government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the police, has tried to regulate skin lightening products by confiscating them from the vendors mostly at the open markets. This is due to the danger and side effects that come with skin lightening products.
Apart from permanent damage to the skin, associated with the prolonged usage of products such as Esapharma Movete, Diproson, Epiderm Cream and others, steroid and antibiotics in these creams can cause drug resistance within a community.
In fact, some of the products are clearly written that they are medicine for skin infections, but a number of Namibian women and a few men are using them as body creams.
“The problem is that if a person uses these products for a prolonged period and you bring them to the hospital with injuries they may not heal due to the resistance created by the usage of these creams,” said Dr Naftali Hamata, Special Advisor to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Creams such as Caro Light and Bio-Claire are also sold at the open markets as well as at some local formal markets.
Even though harmful components are not listed in products like Caro Light, Hamata said these products are not safe to use as there is no indication of the quantity of Vitamin A and E the products have.
According to Hamata, the skin lightening pills with similar components are more dangerous, as they go straight into the blood system and disperse throughout the body, unlike the creams that start working on a certain part of the body and only affect the rest of the body if used for a prolonged period.
Apart from the drug resistance, cancer of the skin, thin and fragile skin, premature wrinkling of the skin, odd-shaped stretch marks, skin rash and irritation, excessive hair growth, fungal and bacterial skin infections are just some of the side effects associated with these products.
According to Hamata, these products also contain gentamicin, which also causes kidney problems and loss of hearing if used for a long time.