Bleaching and skin-lightening practice among female students in South India: A cross-sectional survey.
J Cosmet Dermatol
; 20(4): 1176-1181, 2021 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32854171
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Bleaching with skin-lightening preparations is a common practice in our society. Particularly, a practice simply known as "bleaching"-referring to application of skin-lightening chemicals including ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and hypochlorite, repeated at intervals, as a salon-based or home-based procedure appears wide-spread among young females in India. However, there is limited medical literature on "bleaching."AIMS:
We aimed to estimate the prevalence of "bleaching" among female students of our campus and to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding "bleaching" in the same population.METHODS:
A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted among the female students of the campus following a presurvey focus group discussion with a representative group. A pilot survey conducted to standardize the survey questionnaire showed a high reliability (Cronbach's alpha > 0.7). Descriptive statistical methods were used to assess survey results, and frequencies were presented as percentages.RESULTS:
A total of 880 valid responses were analyzed (age group 17-30 years, mean age-20.24 years). 34.77% had done "bleaching" at least once. 63.8% of respondents did not know the ingredients, and 40.5% did not know about the side effects of "bleaching." 60.06% of those who bleached had experienced an adverse effect. 58.18% respondents knew about "bleaching" from friends/relatives and 17% from parlors. Only 2.3% respondents had consulted a dermatologist, and only 22.8% had used sunscreens. Top motivation to bleach was to lighten facial hairs (19.5%), for a "lighter" complexion (15.1%) and achieve "glow" before a function (15.2%).CONCLUSION:
Facial skin and hair "bleaching" is common in our society, and awareness regarding "bleaching" is low even among educated youth.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Estudiantes
/
Ácido Hipocloroso
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Cosmet Dermatol
Asunto de la revista:
DERMATOLOGIA
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
India