jposuagwu:

Dear topup,

You must have been deceived by beauticians to believe there is a difference bw lightening and bleaching. This is like saying that there is no difference between verbal abuse and sexual abuse, yes they are both forms of abuse but their results are different. Anything that removes the skin pigmentation, no matter how slight is bleaching. You said lightening or toning does not wide the pores. I didn't say this. Its a lie, it really does erode the skin pores. And it is the CHEMICAL COMPONENTS in cosmetics that can even skintone. What am I saying? Am saying that it is only chemicals present in creams that can make the skin change in anyway. The chemicals could be hydroquinon, mercury, etc. What you call difference between lightening and bleaching is just a matter of percentage of chemicals present in the cosmetics in question. For example, a cream that has 0.75% hydroquinon content will sure not bleach or lighten the skin in the same degree as cream that has 1.5% hydroquinon content or 2.5% or 3% content but all the same it will gradually  or slowly bleach or what you call tone/lighten the skin over a longer period of time. Higher percentages of chemical content only bleaches faster and leaves patches. It does not mean that the slow toning cream  if prolonged in use will not ultimately bleach. Please note that bleaching and lightening or toning is just a matter of degree of chemical content and therefore a matter of semantics. Again know it that 90% of the creams or cosmetics that enter Nigeria have serious hydroquinon content but are hardly indicated on the body of the cosmetics. Out of the 90% that have serious chemical content, only 5% indicate the chemical content on the container of the cosmetics. Have you bothered to ask, how come very few creams or cosmetics say they contain hydroquinon yet many of our women are parading bleached skin. Anyone from the tropics, would only get darker as they grow up because of our weather. But how come most adult women from secondary school level all carry shinny skins (lightened bodies)? The thing that makes this possible is nothing other than bleaching chemical, if you like call it toning.  Please wake up and understand that only chemicals can change the colour of your skin no matter how small and they are dangerous. Not ALL chemicals are dangerous, there are some found in natural plants and materials, chemicals can also be natural, by the way I'm not endorsing bleaching or lightening, and probably the majority of your information is likely to be correct anyway since I haven't ever looked at this section of cosmetic products in Nigeria. At another post, I will highlight the consequences of bleaching in the medium  and long term.