A Sacramento woman is in a coma, after using a face cream laced with high levels of mercury. According to a CBS Sacramento report, the 46-year-old mother of five was rushed to the emergency room in July following complaints about numbing in her lips and mouth, major fatigue and slurred speech.
What began as mild symptoms soon turned serious. The woman is now in a semi comatose state, due to mercury poisoning from an antiwrinkle cream purchased in Mexico. She had bought the cream from someone she knew and was aware that the product had been altered from its original manufacturing but had been using it twice daily for two years anyway, CBS Sacramento reports. According to the woman’s son (who wishes to keep both his and his mother’s identities anonymous), she preferred to use the tainted product because she claimed it worked better.
When tested by the Sacramento County Department of Health Services, the Pond’s-labeled product was found to contain a very toxic form of mercury called methylmercury. The ingredient was not listed on the label and was not part of the original ingredients list but rather was added post-production.
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According to dermatologist Dr. Daniel Belkin of New York City, mercury is an active skin lightener and has also been used for centuries as a disinfectant and anti-lice agent. “There is a relatively safe form of mercury used as a preservative called thimerosal, which is allowed in slightly higher concentrations because it is cleared quickly from the body,” says Dr. Belkin. “However, methylmercury, which was the culprit in this case, is not allowed [by the U.S. FDA] and is toxic—nor are mercury salts used in many parts of the world for skin lightening.”
The original product is intended only for use as an anti-wrinkle cream, to smooth fine lines and remove dull surface skin cells. However, on the secondary market, products are sometimes tampered with—and vendors promote the altered versions as skin lighteners that remove spots and wrinkles, according to KCRA-TV. “Skincare products containing mercury are sometimes marketed as skin lightening creams and anti-aging treatments that remove age spots, freckles, blemishes and wrinkles as well as acne treatments for adolescents,” explains New York City dermatologist Dr. Sapna Palep.
Mercury levels of less than 5 micrograms per liter in a person’s bloodstream are safe, but the woman had 2,630 micrograms of mercury in her system, according to KCRA-TV. “Exposure to toxic levels of mercury can build up in the brain, leading to problems with your nervous system, weakness, tremors, memory loss or even a coma in severe cases,” says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a dermatologist in NYC.
While it’s uncommon to find high levels of mercury in your skincare products, you might find low levels of the ingredient in your eye-area product—per the FDA, mercury compounds are allowed to be used only as a preservative in eye-area products in small amounts and when there’s no other preservative available.
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“We don’t know whether this was an intentional change or whether there was a mistake by the person who was adding the mercury,” Sacramento County’s public health officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, told CBS Sacramento. According to her, there is a high volume of black-market suppliers bringing altered skin creams to the U.S., and the products are often found at flea markets and swap meets.
In order to avoid purchasing a tainted skincare product, Dr. Belkin suggests using caution before purchasing any product that promises skin-lightening benefits but doesn’t list ingredients on the label. Also, “be cautious of products that are purchased online from countries other than the U.S., Canada or members of the European Union.
Dr. Palep also suggests thinking twice when purchasing products online. “My advice to consumers purchasing skincare products would be to use caution when buying anything on eBay or Amazon without knowing the source or where it’s coming from,” she says.
