NEW YORK – , judging from an informal survey of those attending the Skin of Color Update 2019, where this topic was introduced.
Ted Bosworth/MDedge News
From left, Dr. Eliot Battle, Dr. Cheryl Burgess, and Dr. Pearl Grimes
When the Skin of Color conference chair, Eliot Battle, MD, founder of Cultura Dermatology and Laser Center, Washington, asked who in the audience considered total body whitening to be “wrong,” the show of hands was substantial. He then offered some perspective.
“How many think breast augmentation is wrong?” he asked. “How many think changing your hair color is wrong? Before we cast judgment, let’s think a little about how our patients feel.”
Although he acknowledged the difficulty of separating a racial context from the cultural perception of lighter skin as desirable, Dr. Battle contended that choices regarding appearance are complex. He cautioned against moral judgments blind to this complexity.
“As physicians we need to keep ourselves in check, to keep ourselves from making judgments [regarding lightening agents],” he said.
The two other panelists participating in the same session made compatible observations. Although the other two panelists limited most of their presentations to skin lightening for clinical indications, such as melasma and other disorders of hyperpigmentation, they acknowledged and addressed the sense of discomfort the topic raises.
“To many patients, depigmentation is a passport to society,” said Pearl Grimes, MD, director of the Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute, Los Angeles. Although she considers this a global issue, not an issue unique to the black population, she counseled dermatologists to “respect the vicissitudes and issues of pigmentation” that she said include the patient’s concerns about beauty, class, and privilege.
Sensitive to the desire of some patients for lighter skin, Cheryl Burgess, MD, founder of the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, Washington, opened her talk by displaying the Time Magazine cover of O.J. Simpson at the time he was accused of murder. The photo appeared to have been intentionally darkened in an effort that was thought by many to make him appear more sinister.
This might be an appropriate example of what skin pigment represents to some segments of American society, but Dr. Battle said that the quest for lighter skin is a global phenomenon. He claims that Asia, India, and Africa are now among the fastest growing and largest markets for skin lightening strategies. The options in those areas of the world, like the United States, are proliferating quickly.
Many of the rapidly expanding options have not yet proved to be effective or safe. The antioxidant glutathione, which is being used for a long list of proven and unproven indications, is among these, according to Dr. Battle. In many clinics where this drug is administered intravenously to avoid degradation in the gastrointestinal tract, he suggested there is reason to believe the staff has little training in safety monitoring.
There are no long-term studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of glutathione for skin lightening, according to Dr. Battle, but there are many case reports of serious toxicities, including death. He listed thyroid dysfunction, renal impairment, and liver dysfunction among adverse events potentially related to glutathione.
“When I gave this talk a year ago, there were no clinics in Washington [offering glutathione]. Now there are seven,” he said.
Even for those dermatologists uncomfortable offering skin lightening for cosmetic purposes, ignoring the demand is ill advised, he said. Evaluating and advising patients on the safety of these agents is one reason to become involved, said Dr. Battle, who noted that specialists in dermatology are uniquely trained to monitor drugs for this application.
“You can tell a patient to stop, but they won’t stop,” said Dr. Battle. He maintained that organized medicine, including the American Academy of Dermatology, should take a role in evaluating the safety and efficacy of lightening agents even when used only for cosmetic indications.
Currently, there are no Food and Drug Administration–approved therapies for whitening of the skin.
“This is such an important question, and I think we need to figure it out,” Dr. Battle said. “Not a day goes by in our practice when we are not asked about skin lightening.”
Dr. Battle reported no relevant disclosures; Dr. Grimes and Dr. Burgess reported multiple financial relationships with industry that are not necessarily relevant to this topic.