Prevalence of Using Glutathione as Whitening Agent among Saudi Girls At Makkah (Saudi Arabia), 2014: A Cross-Sectional Study
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Research Professionals - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Background: Intravenous administration of glutathione for the purpose of skin whitening is a practice that has spread throughout many countries in Africa and the far and Middle East in recent years, despite a warning bulletin put out by the Food and Drug Administration of the Filipines in 2011 that the use of glutathione administered intravenously as a skin-whitening agent at very high doses is unsafe and may result in serious consequences to the health of users. Objectives: To get an idea of the prevalence of IV glutathione use for the purpose of skin whitening among women in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of five months starting from April to August of 2014, where 250 women aged 20-35 years, who had all received glutathione injections, were asked to fill out questionnaires. Results: The study included 250 women. Most of them (69.6%) used glutathione injection for skin whitening, with significant association between reason of using glutathione injection and type of skin (p=0.00039). Near half of them 111 (44.4%) had 4 injections and 17 (6.8%) received over 4 doses. Regarding source of information about glutathione; 83 (73.2%) reported friend or relative who received injections. Most of the participants 181(72.4%) had no information about the injections apart from their use for skin whitening. Skin changes were reported by 53 (21.2%) of the women after receiving glutathione. Almost two-thirds of the women 159 (63.6%) reported developing side effects such as itching, tingling, pain and transient loss of sensation. Regarding the whitening result from glutathione: 179 (71.3%) were satisfied with the results they obtained. Conclusion: Seeking whiter skin is a common practice among Saudi women. However, many recipients are ignorant regarding true information regarding trading preparations, which warrants raising public awareness about the issue.
Authors and Affiliations
Ahmed Alliali, Tahani Magliah, Salwa Bardisi, Safa Magliah, Dania Magliah
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP529036
- DOI 10.21276/ijmrp.2018.4.1.008
- Views 159
- Downloads 0
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