An avocado is one very diverse fruit. You can use it on toast and fruit smoothies or turn it into a guacamole dip to eat with your crisps. However, Avocado is not just any ordinary yummy snack or food condiment… Avocados are packed with proteins, vitamins and many other goodies that do wonders for your skin, hair and overall health.
If you have been one of the observant lots, you must have noticed that the beauty industry has begun to infuse natural factors (such as fruits and oils) into its products.
These beauty companies are entirely in love with avocados. If it is not an avocado oil hair mask, it is a face cream or a body lotion, and it is Avocado- everything!
Source: Dr. Anil Rajani
Though we all know that avocados are good for us (because obviously, all fruits are good for us), why is there a sudden with them avocados, especially in the beauty industry? Well, let us find out…
Benefits of Avocado fruit
We all know that avocados, like most fruits, are enriched with vitamins, proteins, and minerals that benefit our health, but did you know that avocados do wonders for your skin?
Avocados are enriched with vitamins C and E, which boost the vitality and overall look of the skin. In simple terms, your skin is definitely going to glow. Avocados help with skin conditions like eczema and chapped skin.
They prevent skin damage by smoothing out those pesky wrinkles and signs of ageing that the sun might cause. They also improve skin elasticity and prevent acne breakouts.
Avocados can also help lighten dark spots or hyperpigmentation due to the compound glutathione, which reduces melanin production. Therefore, Avocado is an effective skin-lightening agent. To the beauty industry, it is pure magic!
You can get all of these benefits by indulging in a delicious avocado-filled snack, or you could decide to put the Avocado right on your skin. There are so many home remedies you could try out, or you could easily opt for an over-the-counter avocado skin care product.
Avocado for Skin whitening: Is it good or bad?
Avocado is a good choice for your skin. However, skin whitening with any product, whether natural or not, should raise eyebrows.
Skin whitening is delicate when done under safe and recommended conditions (recommended by a dermatologist). However, it would help to consider the adverse effects of skin whitening on your skin. Skin whitening could lead to a damaged skin barrier, melasma, severe burns, and hyperpigmentation.
If you choose to use Avocado for skin whitening, it should only be recommended by a dermatologist and paired with a good sunscreen to protect your skin.
In November of 2023, the World health organization released a fact sheet which pronounced skin bleaching as a public health concern in Africa.
Amongst the many African countries analyzed in this study, Nigeria came out with a whopping 77%, ranking as the highest amongst other African countries for the use of skin whitening products. This data does not look so good.
Yes, skin whitening can be recommended by your dermatologist for an underlying issue, and you can use it to treat hyperpigmentation issues in certain common areas of the body.
However, simply wanting to change the colour of your skin is not a good enough reason. Making that decision says a lot about your self-esteem and will only lead to severe adverse effects if not done correctly.
