The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians not to use unapproved cosmetics because the dangers were largely irreversible.
The Director-General NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning during the media sensitisation workshop on dangers of bleaching creams and regulatory controls for South South Journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, Director, Drug Evaluation and Research, said the menace of unapproved cosmetics such as bleaching creams in Nigeria had become a national health emergency that required multi-faced regulatory approach.
According to the NAFDAC D-G, the unapproved cosmetics used banned and toxic chemicals to achieve skin lightening effects that leaves the user with undesirable effects.
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She listed some of the harmful effects of bleaching creams to include cancer, damage to vital organs of the body like kidney and liver.
It also causes skin cancer, irritation and allergy, skin burn and rashes, wrinkles, premature skin ageing and prolonged healing of wounds.
The DG said that the World Health Organisation in a 2018 study, revealed that use of skin bleaching creams was prevalent among 77 per cent of Nigerian women which was highest in Africa, compared to 59 per cent in Togo, 35 per cent in South Africa and 27 per cent women in Senegal.
