Reported Side-Effects of Using Skin-Lightening Products in Aden-Yemen: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice

Background: Skin lightening creams & products (SL) contain certain dangerous chemicals such as mercury, steroids such as; Clobetasol propionate (CP), hydroquinone (HQ), and a host of others that have negative health implications.

Aims: The study focused on the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of using these creams, as well as reporting the most common side-effects related to using these products.

Methods: This study design was a cross-sectional study from August to October 2021, conducted in different governmental and private dermatological clinics and community pharmacies in Aden-Yemen.

Results: A total of 154 women were involved in this study, 58.4% in the age range from 21 to 30 years. About 57% were single and had a high level of education; 61.0% of the participants were university graduates. Nearly half (51.9%) of the participants agreed that they used the SL product due to the climate condition. Around two-thirds (67.5%) of them did not know the ingredients of the SL product. About three-forth (74.7%) knew that SL products might cause unwanted side effects to the skin. Nearly half (53.9%) of participants used SL products to get light skin tone, 23.4% used them for medical purposes, and 23.4% used them for both purposes. Most females had a good practice of stopping using these products during pregnancy (90.9%) and breastfeeding (88.3%). The most reported side effects of using SL products were acne vulgaris (44.2%), followed by pigmentation (26.0%), skin atrophy (22.1%), and the appearance of lines on the skin (striae) (20.1%).

Conclusions: A significant proportion of respondents in the cross-sectional study had overused and misused bleaching agents regardless of age, income, education, or marital status. Continuous use of these products without control will lead to complicated side effects on the skin and overall body systems.