The ‘glow therapy’ – To use or not to?

It’s the new thing around. They call it the ‘glow treatment’…’the antioxidant therapy’.
Let’s talk about glutathione and vitamin C infusion treatments.
Its fast becoming popular in the ‘Beverly Hills’ of Lagos (Island) with its tentacles extending to the mainland and beyond. What exactly is Glutathione and Vitamin C?

Glutathione is a substance produced normally by the liver and one of the most powerful antioxidants. Vitamin C is one of the water soluble vitamins that also has great antioxidant properties. An antioxidant is a substance that mops up something called free radicals (which are bad for the body) produced in the body from different processes happening in the body.

Glutathione was approved for use in conditions such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease amongst others where it is used because of its antioxidant properties. Glutathione in particular was noticed to lighten the skin due to its effect on the production of melanin (it inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase). Tyrosinase is important in in producing melanin (colour) and so it prevents formation of melanin thus making the skin lighter.

Hollywood celebrities were noted to be amongst those that use Glutathione and Vitamin C the most. When you use these drugs especially in high quantities, the body feels ‘rejuvenated’ with more energy and the skin gets fairer over time with glutathione use. This mode of use is however not FDA approved and for any product that is like that, you only use IF the benefits outweigh the risks.

Side effects of glutathione use has been studied and for now, no severe adverse effects have been noted. High doses of vitamin C may predispose to kidney stone formation.

So the question is….Do the benefits outweigh the risks? The body produces it’s own glutathione and you get your vitamins from a balanced diet. Except in cases of clinical deficiency where you may need to replace the vitamins using medications, you really don’t need to be infusing yourself with vitamins.

Long term effects have not been discovered yet but medicine is an ever evolving field. It would be sad to have a serious adverse event over something done for aesthetic purposes.

And let me tell you a little secret, aesthetics is like a CNS stimulant. It makes you feel good and some people don’t know where and when to draw the line. Nigerians also like oversabi….We turn it to a regular use product.

So to use or not to use? I really cannot answer that question. Ultimately, the decision lies with the individual after ensuring that he/she gets ample information.