Skin lightening cream: an emerging medical challenge

Goldstein, Rebecca F; Teede, Helena J; Allan, Carolyn A

doi:10.5694/mja12.10215

Topics

To the Editor: A 24-year-old Sudanese woman presented to her general practitioner in 2011 with one month of fatigue, dizziness, abdominal distension and facial oedema. Hypocortisolaemia was present: morning cortisol, 13 nmol/L (reference interval [RI], 240–620 nmol/L), afternoon cortisol, 9 nmol/L (RI, 100–280 nmol/L).

Department of Endocrinology, Southern Health, Melbourne, VIC.

Correspondence: beckgoldstein@yahoo.com.au

Competing interests:

Carolyn Allan is a member of the Androgen Advisory Board and has received payment from Lilly. She has also received payment from Bayer Schering Novartis for delivering lectures.

1. Mahé A, Blanc L, Halna JM, et al. An epidemiologic survey on the cosmetic use of bleaching agents by the women of Bamako (Mali). Ann Dermatol Venereol 1993; 120: 870-873.
2. Hengge UR, Ruzicka T, Schwartz RA, et al. Adverse effects of topical glucocorticosteroids. J Am Acad Dermatol 2006; 54: 1-15.
3. Olumide YM, Akinkugbe AO, Altraide D, et al. Complications of chronic use of skin lightening cosmetics. Int J Dermatol 2008; 47: 344-353.
4. Allenby CF, Main RA, Marsden RA, et al. Effect on adrenal function of topically applied clobetasol propionate (Dermovate). Br Med J 1975; 4: 619-621.
5. New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated. DermNet NZ. http://www.dermnetnz.org/treatments/topical-steroids.html (accessed Apr 2012).

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.