Forget skin lightening, penis whitening is the new fad
With a Bangkok hospital providing penis lightening services, obsession for fair skin has assumed unprecedented craze in Thailand. Started six months ago, Lelux Hospital charges $650 (Rs. 41,207) for the five-session laser procedure. It has been giving services to 100 men a month, most aged between 22-55 years, reported AFP. The treatment is particularly popular among Thailand's LGBTQ community. Read on for more.
Twitter goes nuts with derision
Lelux Hospital's penis whitening treatment breaks the internet
Lelux Hospital shared a post on Facebook, which included a video of a man undergoing the cosmetic treatment and illustrations of a penis before and after the process. With 19,000 shares and over 4.5 million video views, the post went viral by Thursday. From bemusement to befuddlement and outright disgust, it got polarized reactions on social media, and has since been pulled down.
Are they?
Thai government cautions about possible side effects
Seeing the attention that Lelux's controversial procedure is getting, Thailand's Public Health Ministry has warned people about its potential health hazards. According to the BBC, the ministry has warned that the penis whitening is only temporary, and can cause pain, inflammation, scars, affect fertility and sex life. "It's unnecessary, wastes money and may give more negative effects than positive ones," the ministry statement said.
Uses same pigmentation laser equipment as other cosmetic skin treatments
The procedure uses the same pigmentation laser equipment to deconstruct skin's melanin for whitening as used in other cosmetic skin treatments. All equipment used is certified by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, reports the New York Post. The treatment's growing popularity is another reminder of the deep-seated color-based racial discrimination that is hyper-prevalent in Asia, where pale skin is associated with desirability and power.
There's a treatment for fair vagina too
Penis lightening is not Lelux Hospital's only path-breaking service. According to the BBC, it also has a procedure for vagina whitening, called "3D Vagina". Introduced four months ago, the "beautification treatment" uses a person's body fat to make their genitalia plumper.
