Beware Of Safety Of Skin Care Products Containing Active Chemicals

Illustration of beauty care. (Freepic)

JAKARTa - In recent years, skin care trends have become increasingly widespread, encouraging many people to try various products with claims of brightening, smoothing, and accelerating skin regeneration. However, not all of these products are safe to use without supervision.

Some active ingredients such as hydroquinons and retinoids include chemicals that work strongly on the skin and require medical supervision so as not to cause serious side effects.

Use without a doctor's guide can cause irritation, skin color changes, and even long-term damage that is difficult to repair.

Dermatologists, venereologists, and aesthetics convey the importance of being aware of the long-term use of skin care products that contain chemicals such as hydroquinons and retinoids for skin health.

According to dr. Amaranila Lalita Drijono, Sp.DVE, FINSDV, FAADV, the use of such skin care products if not in accordance with the doctor's prescription can trigger skin irritation reactions.

"He must also have short-term effects. For example, using retinol, if used carelessly, there can be an irritation of the skin, a dermatitis of foreign contact, because he has not been able to stand a rather high dose," said the doctor who graduated from the University of Indonesia when contacted by ANTARA on Tuesday.

Furthermore, dr. Amarianila explained that excessive use of hydroquinons can cause side effects in the form of ocronosis, namely the accumulation of acids below the surface of the skin which causes black spots.

These conditions, he said, include they are difficult to treat and can get worse if products with continuous hydroquinon content are used in the long term.

He also added that products with high hydroquinon levels have the potential to cause allergic reactions, reddish skin, which increases the risk of skin cancer.

"So it's a side effect that we are afraid of from hydroquinons, that's why hydroquinons with a 4 percent dose should not be sold freely," he said.

Hydroquinon itself is an organic compound that functions as a skin bleach agent. Products with this content are actually safe when used according to a doctor's prescription and a dose that is tailored to the patient's skin needs.

Generally, doctors will prescribe products with hydroquinon levels between two and four percent, while for products circulating freely, the safe content limit should not exceed two percent.

In addition to hydroquinons, the content of retinoids in skin care products also needs to be used carefully. Retinoids are a derivation of vitamin A which functions to accelerate the skin regeneration process, which naturally occurs every 28 days.

However, levels of retinoids that are too high can accelerate excessive skin turnover, resulting in severe exfoliation, redness, and pain.

Doctor Amaranila explained that the exfoliation process can make the skin layer thinner and more sensitive to sun exposure.

"That's why we say that side effects can occur because there are areas that are not protected, while the protection is lacking, then sunlight enters very strongly into the skin, and of course damages the skin, because it has no protection," he explained.

The long-term use of products with hydroquinon or retinoid content can cause permanent skin damage, skin color changes, thinning, to the risk of dermatitis and skin cancer. In addition, continuous use can also cause dependence on products.

Therefore, dr. Amaranila emphasized the importance of consulting a dermatologist before using a treatment product with this active material.

Doctors can adjust the hydroquinon or retinol dose according to skin conditions and provide proper use time directions, for example, at night, or accompanied by sunscreen if worn during the day.

She also reminded that pregnant women are not advised to use products that contain retinoids, especially in the form of oral drugs, because they can pose a risk to the fetus.