Homemade beauty products can be harmful to the skin — Gold-Olufadi, dermatologist

In this interview by SADE OGUNTOLA, Dr Shakirat Gold-Olufadi, a dermatologist and physician at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan explains why skincare is important and how best to ensure this.

I S skin bleaching and toning the same?

Skin bleaching refers to changing the color of your skin to a lighter shade using certain products. For dermatologists, using a toner on the skin means you are using a product to balance the pH of your skin after the initial cleansing before applying your moisturiser and sunscreen. However, we have since realised that to the general public, the term ‘toning’ refers to bleaching your skin lightly. So if it is this toning you’re talking about, it is just a semantic word for bleaching and dermatologists also consider it to be bleaching.

Are there adverse effects of staying in the sun especially with use of bleaching creams?

Yes. The sun has ultraviolet rays which can predispose to pigmentation, skin ageing and skin cancers. Although the type of melanin (pigment) that black skin gives a high protection against skin cancer, it doesn’t protect against hyperpigmentation (darkened patches or spots on the skin) and skin ageing.

Bleaching has become an epidemic of some sort and it is usual that we are seeing more sun-induced skin damage because people are tampering with the protective effect of the melanin. Most people also don’t use sunscreen. Everyone, whether white or black-skinned should use a sunscreen cream with Sun Protective Factor (SPF) of between 30 to 50 to protect their skin against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.

Most people claim to be going natural through making their soap and creams with natural products. How safe are they?

People need to understand that going natural does not mean free from harm. Natural does not mean it is good for your skin. A lot of our factory-produced soaps and creams actually have natural products in them but they have been tested and the quantities put in them have been put to test to be the right quantity needed by your skin. When you do homemade natural products, sometimes you’re putting in a quantity that is harmful for your skin. Sometimes, you’re using products that will give irritant reactions on your skin. Then the latest trend is that people are mixing triple action creams with infant’s ‘natural’ products thereby causing a lot of harm to the skin. This includes recurrent skin infections and it can get as bad as skin failure. So on natural products, I’ll say one needs to be careful and except you’re trained to know the right products to combine for the skin, we generally prefer regular store-bought cleansers and creams which have been subjected to quality control checks.

Some mothers are worried about choosing the right products for their babies’ skincare; what are the right products to use?

They need to avoid medicated and antiseptic soaps and use pH balanced cleansers and creams. No need for using hard sponge for the skin…just a soft wash cloth. I wouldn’t want to mention specific products but look out for pH balanced soaps and creams that are specifically for babies. We don’t recommend making the creams or soaps by yourself.

A lot of people take their skin for granted; why should people be mindful of what they put on their skin?

They need to be mindful of what they put on their skin because the skin is the largest organ in the body. Things get absorbed from the skin to other internal organs and organs like the kidney can fail from products that are absorbed through the skin. The skin is also the most visible organ and taking care of it gives your confidence a boost when it is healthy. It also protects against environmental hazards and it is involved in regulation of body temperature amongst other functions. The good thing is, it is not hard to take care of the skin but most people end up damaging their skin by applying all the wrong things like I mentioned earlier.

The hair tends to thin out with age, is there anything that can be done to reverse this?

The hair may thin out with age but most times, there are practices that we do that encourage hair thinning like combing the hair excessively, applying harsh chemicals, not conditioning or moisturising the hair, doing hairstyles that pull the hair and cause traction amongst others. There are also certain conditions that are associated with hair loss and anyone experiencing unusual hair loss will need to see a specialist.

What are some harmful skincare practices that people should avoid?

Avoid extremes of water temperature while bathing; stop the routine use of medicated and antiseptic soaps or solutions, avoid the use of bleaching creams and triple-action creams. Basic skincare practice that is great for the skin is as outlined: cleanse your skin with pH balanced cleanser (not those things that contain alcohol that people call cleansing lotion please), moisturise and use a sunscreen with SPF between 30 and 50.

What is the scope of your work as a dermatologist? Is it limited to the skin and skin diseases alone?

A dermatologist in Nigeria is a doctor who has undergone postgraduate medical training after medical school for a minimum of six years and is either a fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria or a fellow of the West African College of Physicians (or in some cases, a fellow of both colleges). The dermatologist treats diseases of the skin, scalp, hair, nails and sexually transmitted infections.

What are some of the causes of persistent diaper rash?

Urine and feces in the diaper area is a potent irritant for the diaper area (especially if left for long), and that is why it is important to use a barrier ointment to protect the area always. Leaving the diaper on for too long without changing after the child has soiled it is a potential cause of recurrent irritation in the diaper area. Finally, some people mix triple-action creams with their babies’ diaper creams and this can put the baby at risk of an infection called candidiasis in the diaper area. Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by a yeast called Candida. This practice is harmful and needs to stop.

Can diseases of internal organs manifest on the skin?

Yes! The skin is the largest organ in the body as I mentioned before and diseases of internal organs often have manifestations on the skin. Some skin cancers may even have the skin coming out with skin lesions that will alert you to the possibility of a cancer in an organ – something we refer to as paraneoplastic syndrome. A paraneoplastic syndrome is a set of signs and symptoms that occur in people as a result of the consequence of cancer in the body. The skin is the window (and door) to other organs in the body. Treat it right!

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