I was enraged after reading about this! There are many people out there that are curious about products that will remove age spots and other unsightly marks, but you actually have to be very careful in your selection of these products because many of the ingredients used in skin whitening formulas can be very harmful to you. How would you like it if you found out that mercury was actually the main ingredient in your product?!

Mercury can be found in many whitening products in the form of mercury (II) chloride, which is actually one of the most toxic forms of mercury due to it being more soluble than other forms in water. This form of mercury is not only acutely toxic, but it is also a cumulative poison. Don’t ever use a skin whitening product that contains this ingredient if you value your health.

One of the primary ingredients used in skin whitening products is hydraquinone, which still shows up here in the United States, and throughout developing countries despite being banned by the European Union in 2001. Hydraquinone is considered dangerous to human’s due to the fact that it has been shown to cause leukemia in mice, and other animals.

Alpha hydroxyl acids are also ingredients used in skin whitening treatments, and are the most researched forms of melanin inhibitors, because their molecular size allows for effective penetration into the skin. Alpha hydroxyl acids don’t however have any effect on the discoloration of your skin. Their benefit in helping cell turnover rates that removes unhealthy or abnormal skin.

Those outer layers that are removed are the ones where hyperpigmented cells usually lie. These acids are not without side effects of their own though including mild skin irritations, flaking, and redness. Depending on the pH level of the acid being used, and the concentration of the acid the side effects could be far more severe, and even extreme photosensitivity can occur.

Kojic acid is another of the popular ingredients used in skin whitening formulas which should be avoided. It is a byproduct of the fermentation process for the malting process that is used in making Japanese sake. Research has indicated that kojic acid is very effective for inhibiting melanin production, but the ingredient is very unstable when used in cosmetics products.

The fact that research has indicated that kojic acid has carcinogenic properties is the main reason for staying away from the products that use it as an ingredient. You should really rely on natural ingredients such as Extrapone Nutgrass if you want to avoid any sort of side effect from your whitening cream. This ingredient has been proven in clinical studies to safely reduce melanin up to 40%.

Extrapone Nutgrass is one of the ingredients used in skin whitening products manufactured by a company in New Zealand. Their natural whitening day cream is just one of the products that are in their line of anti aging skin care formulas, which are widely considered to be the best all natural products of their kind. You should try them if you truly want to change the way that your skin looks, and feels.

Now that you know this, visit my site to learn about more amazing natural skin care substances you have probably never heard of.

Laurel Levine
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/the-truth-about-ingredients-used-in-skin-whitening-products-745523.html