Filipinos still choose to be fairer, which is a pity, Bince said, because the Pinoys’ brown tone actually makes them less vulnerable to skin cancer compared to Caucasians.
It’s been oft-said a thousand times, probably: Filipinos should love their “kulay kayumanggi,” or brown skin tone, because it is exotic and, at the same time, unique.
Take it from Dr. Benjamin Bince, specialist dermatologist at Klinika Maharlika, who told The Filipino Times Pinoys should not feel timid about the color of their skin. Other dermatologists say Filipinos should be proud of it, instead, especially when it takes on a bronze hue when tanned.
“Filipino dermatologists always emphasize that we should love our own natural color,” said Bince.
“However,” he added, “Filipinos still choose to be fairer.” Which is a pity, Bince said, because the Pinoys’ brown skin tone actually makes them less vulnerable to skin cancer compared to Caucasians.
Bince said Flipinos are “lucky because the risk of pigmented skin cancer (i.e. Melanoma) is significantly lower compared to Caucasians.
“The risk of other forms of skin cancers like Squamous and basal cell cancers, (i.e. non-melanoma skin cancers [NMSC]) is comparable to the other races. Fortunately, NMSC’s are easier to treat and are less life threatening,” he said..
Bince said there are many products out in the market and it would be difficult to assess individual products. “But as a general rule,” Bince said, “we do not recommend whitening the body as a whole. We only lighten blemishes or localized areas in our body that have darkened.”
Bince suggested the use of sun blocks instead. “The use of sunblock daily is recommended,” he said, especially considering that exposure to the sun is always the main concern when working outdoors.
“A proper sunblock should be applied at least 30 minutes before going outdoors and should be reapplied every two hours specially if you sweat or the sunblock is washed away (e.g. swimming),” said Bince.
A good sunblock, he explained, is a broad spectrum sunblock (covers both UVB and UVA) and is at least SPF 30 or higher. Tinted sun blocks, Bince added, should also give you more protection from the sun since it can block visible light.
“Sun blocks should be a mainstay in our daily regimen. The sun has been proven to cause a lot of skin problems like cancers, pigmentation, aging, and aggravation of several skin diseases,” he said.
“Most Filipinos like using whitening products, so they should also protect their sun exposed skin from the sun, otherwise their use of whitening products will be futile,” Bince added.
Bince said there are numerous skin care products in the market and it would be difficult to assess them individually.
“As a general rule,” he said, “those that are manufactured by reputable companies with a good track record may be more trusted compared to others. There are companies who regularly test their products (which is great). But these expenses are added on to the cost of their products, which make them relatively more expensive.”
Shukulata means chocolate in Arabic.
