Lipsticks expose users to cancer and mental disorders - Dermatologist warns

A Dermatologist with the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Dr. Martin Agyei, has warned that women who are religious users of cosmetics like lipsticks are prone to cancer related ailments as well as mental disorders.

He revealed on Accra-based Okay FM that these ingredients once applied on the human body,can find their way into the bloodstream thereby injecting harmful toxics resulting in mental disorders and cancer.

Test on the harmful potency of these products he added, have been carried out on animals and it proved they can cause a lot of harm to the human body but women are oblivious of this and have cultivated the habit of consistently using some of these products to beautify themselves.

Dr Agyei said Lipstick, for instance, contains a substance called Aluminum, which, when accumulated in the body, can cause anemia, and your blood level comes down and can result in glucose intolerance, leading to diabetes, all from aluminum in the lipstick applied.

Most of the compounds that contain mercury and barium-sulphate, can also affect the liver and the kidney, he said, adding: “In fact, mercury, for example, is another component found among bleaching products.”

Giving an overview of cosmetics, the Medical Officer stated that cosmetics products, which contain combined chemical compounds, are promoted for business sake, and, therefore, do not come with the warning of the side effects of these products.

“They are not telling us about the bad side of cosmetology because there are certain compounds which harmful effects begin to take effect after long and further use, and, therefore, pretend there are no side effects.”

He said every doctor knows mercury is nephrotoxic, which is harmful to the kidneys, hence the withdrawal of many of the products, adding that mercury and barium sulphate in cosmetics products are harmful to the kidneys and the liver (hepatotoxic).