7 Hospitals in Beijing Selected to Deal with Cosmetics Adverse Effects from July

According to Beijing FDA, 7 hospitals in Beijing have been entrusted to monitor and deal with adverse effects of cosmetic products from next month. This is just the first batch selected among hospitals having professional dermatology departments and at least 15

According to Beijing FDA, 7 hospitals in Beijing have been entrusted to monitor and dealth with adverse effects of cosmetic products from next month. This is just the first batch selected among hospitals having professional dermatology departments and at least 15 such kind of hospitals are expected to be designated at the end of 2014 for building a comprehensive cosmetic side effect monitoring network. The 7 hospitals are listed as follows:

These hospitals have experienced professionals to diagnose skin diseases induced by cosmetic products and are equipped with corresponding labs and instruments to carry out patch test and photo-patch test.

Diverse cosmetic products of inconsistent qualities are placed on the market. The safety issues of cosmetic products, such as shampoo with carcinogens, skin-whitening products containing excessive heavy metals, etc. occur now and then.

According to the investigation report by Air Force General Hospital, the adverse effects of cosmetic products mainly include 6 types: contact dermatitis, acne, hair damage, nail damage, photosensitive dermatitis and skin discoloration. Mr. Liu Wei, a chief doctor from the hospital stated that there are four main causes for adverse reactions:

Using cosmetic products with addition of prohibited substances or excessive restricted substances;
Labels, instructions and ads of cosmetics stating exaggerated functions that mislead consumers, especially exaggerated promotional campaigns seen on TV shopping programs or staff in beauty salons;
The misapplication of products by staff in beauty salons;
Allergic reactions to products

Contact dermatitis is the most common skin disease caused by cosmetics, accounting for 70~90%. Base on the analysis of sensitized factors of 141 cases of cosmetic contact dermatitis patients, Mrs. Jiao Hong from Guangdong CIQ revealed that preservatives like commonly-used propylparaben, fragrance mixtures and the adulteration of heavy metals constitute major factors of occurrence of contact dermatitis.

Consumers suffering from allergies characterized by aberrant immune response and histamine overproduction casually linked to the use of cosmetics should promptly go to these hospitals to receive effective diagnosis and treatment.

Reference Link

Beijing Daily