Glutathione Skin-Lightening IV Treatments and Its Side Effects – Reasons Why Women May Want to Lighten Their Skin
There are many who desire to have fair and revitalized skin and keep at bay pigmentation and skin aging signs. However, they choose for local treatments and home remedies but sometimes they are not effective.
Though, with the advancement in the field of cosmetology, the infusion of Glutathione natural antioxidant is nowadays happening. Skin-tone emojis that better reflect our diversity. Why are some women going to extreme actions to change their natural complexions?
Radiant, glowing, luminous skin is something most of us want from our skincare products. It’s the reason why ingredients such as retinol, acids and vitamin C (touted by skin experts as the ultimate skin brighteners) are so incredibly popular. But when it comes to targeting concerns like acne scars, pigmentation, melasma and more, it seems women are now looking to other, more unusual forms of treatment – enter the beauty drips.
Glutathione (GSH) is a natural antioxidant which is present in our body. The IV drips of glutathione, a powerhouse antioxidant inherently present in our bodies. Its most notable side effect, however, is lightening the skin by deactivating the enzyme tyrosinase, which helps produce melanin. The antioxidant is composed of three amino acids. They are:
- Cysteine
- Glutamic Acid
- Glycine
As our global society becomes less white and more blended, color perhaps even more than race, which technically can’t be seen becomes a deeper signifier of one’s place in the world and of one’s beauty. As cultural ideas of beauty become more globalized. A person who can afford this, thinking that it has a higher financial status, public acceptance, and greater access to job opportunities. The skin-lightening market has always been robust one and bleaching creams were its core.
Skin brightening drips specifically are widely available in a number of aesthetic clinics of the country, but the treatment is causing concern among dermatologists, mainly due to one particular ingredient: glutathione. Dermatologists said that they know the IV glutathione benefits as an antioxidant but it hasn’t been proven that it’s safe or effective for skin lightening. After an infusion, skin may look temporarily lighter and probably person feel better.
Regularly undergoing IV glutathione treatment will lighten the whole skin, not just pigmented areas. There are many reasons why women may want to lighten their skin. It’s due to with colonialism and in certain countries, people are seen as higher in social status if they have light skin. If you worked outdoors, you were more likely to be tanned and having fair skin was a sign of your wealth. It is also combined with how the common beauty ideals we see are often Western beauty ideals.”
It seems that beauty clinics may also be misleading consumers. The lack of evidence, there is an inherent danger in letting someone inject an unregulated fluid into your veins. In the Philippines, glutathione IVs were omnipresent in neighborhood spas until 2011, when reports of serious skin rashes, thyroid issues, and kidney failure led to a ban by the country’s government, and last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that injectable skin lighteners were unsafe. Clearly, women are putting themselves at risk, but research suggests white females are not looking to forsake their privilege.
Head to the website of a clinic which offers an IV ‘skin brightening’ treatment with glutathione and you’re likely to be assured that it is a completely safe, well tolerated treatment. Though as per studies, there are no noted Glutathione Side Effects but:
- Uncontrolled intake of Glutathione dosage has been linked to lower zinc levels.
- If an individual going under skin treatment by glutathione has asthma, s/he should inform the same beforehand to the expert as Glutathione injections or pills are also linked with triggering of asthma attacks.
- It is suggested to provide the skin specialist about the information of any additional supplement that you’re taking.
- The information helps the expert on checking on any potential side effects that arise due to the fusion of Glutathione dosage and additional supplement
If one is sensitive to the Glutathione injections or pills of Glutathione for skin whitening, one should avoid it or inform the same to the professional before the commencement of the treatment.
On the contrary, studies show that there are many under-the-radar side effects which could be detrimental to health. One thing all experts agree on is that it’s important to do your research should you want to undergo IV glutathione treatment for whatever reason, whether that’s brightening, lightening or something else. Potential adverse side effects include:
- Toxicity of the nervous system
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- Headaches
- Rare, but serious skin conditions such as Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS)

