Coronavirus
A doctor has warned people who bleach their skin to stop it if they must be safe from coronavirus.
A medical expert, Dr Chinonso Egemba, says users of skin-lightening
creams, which contain steroids, are more likely to have severe illness
or die from coronavirus disease.
Egemba, who is popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor’, told the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, that some bleaching creams and
soaps contained steroids, which reduced body immunity.
He described the immune system, as the body’s defence force against
disease-causing bacteria and viruses such as coronavirus and other
organisms that humans touch, ingest and inhale everyday.
“If you are bleaching, stop it because it is reducing your
immunity and people or patients with low immunity suffer more and may
likely die from the virus.
“Steroids are basically anti-inflammatory drugs and
inflammation is one way our bodies dispose off foreign substances. It
could be via body swelling in form of boils or redness of the skin.
“So steroids reduce the body’s response to anything that could cause inflammation.
“Now, there are different types of bleaching creams and soaps
but some particular types contain steroids and it can bleach the skin or
cause skin lightening.
“When you use such cream or soap for a long time, it’s not just
on the surface, your skin absorbs the steroids in the cream and it
reduces your body immunity,” he said.
Egemba said some unlicensed aestheticians or skin specialists also
give their clients steroids, as tablet under the guise that it would
help lighten their skin.
“When you take such tablets you are reducing or weakening your immune system.
“So in relation to COVID-19, having strong immunity is one of
the major ways patients are surviving the disease and if you have low or
weak immunity as a result of bleaching, you suffer more and may likely
die from coronavirus disease,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to imbibe healthy lifestyles so as to help boost their immune system.
“Stop smoking, drink little or no alcohol, sleeping well,
eating a balanced diet, take fruits and vegetables, take regular
moderate exercise and reduce stress.
“These acts help our immune systems to be in the best shape possible to tackle pathogens and even coronavirus,” Egemba said. (NAN)
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