Though modern Americans love their suntans, for most of human history women of means and status have striven to keep their skin pale. In this not-so-distant past, only women who could afford not to spend time working outdoors had porcelain pale complexions. Milk-white skin was thus prized as a sign of wealth, status and beauty.
Think this sounds like a dermatologist’s dream? As we shall see, not really. Just as modern-day women risk skin cancer and wrinkles for the sake of a perfect tan, women of the past would risk their health and sometimes even their lives to get the pale, wan look. But before you laugh too hard at these treatments from the past, just take a moment to think of how our own descendants may view baby oil and tanning booths . . .
Lead face paint: White lead face paint has been popular in various forms since the times of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Queen Elizabeth used a formulation of white lead and vinegar to cover her small pox scars. Apparently it went on quite smoothly and helped hide her wrinkles too.
The down side? Hair loss at the brow and hairline, long-term damage to the skin, eventual cognitive impairment and sometimes even death. In the 18th century, the Countess of Coventry died at the age of 27 due to excessive use of lead-based makeup.
Everyone who used these face paints entered a vicious beauty cycle as well. They applied lead face paint, which would eat away and scar the skin. Then they would apply even more face paint to cover the damage, leading to yet more damage and more need for coverage. A vicious cycle indeed!
Remind anyone of how some modern-day people use the sun? But I digress . . .
Arsenic: In the mid to late nineteenth century, women began applying and sometimes ingesting various concoctions to get “clear and blooming complexions” and to rid themselves of blotches, freckles, redness and blemishes.
Thus women were taking Dr. Simms’ Arsenic Complexion Wafers, Dr. Campbell’s Arsenic Complexion Wafers, and – my personal favorite – Dr. MacKenzie’s Improved Harmless Arsenic complexion wafers.
While these arsenic products likely contained only a little arsenic . . . a little arsenic can go a long way! Supposedly, the wafers made the skin fashionably pale by destroying red blood cells. They may also have killed and blinded a few people, but at least the young ladies in question had pale skin at the end. Or so we hope.
Lead lotions: Skin-care potions posed problems as well. Consider the case of “Laird’s Bloom of Youth,” a concoction that sold fairly well at around the middle of the nineteenth century in America. This skin-whitening lotion (made especially for those with tan, freckled, rough and discolored skin) apparently brought on a number of health woes to those who applied it.
According to a report from the American Medical Association, “Laird’s Bloom of Youth” caused weight loss, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and, in three notable cases, paralysis. The culprit ingredient? Lead acetate.
Other lightening lotions and potions contained carbolic acid, mercury and other corrosives. Ouch.
But again, before we laugh too loudly, we should consider our own skin care routines and habits. For example, in our quest for a nice, even tan, do we risk Melanoma or other skin cancers? In our efforts to even out our complexion, do we use cosmetics and skin care products that may contain ingredients harmful to our health? When we plan a procedure or peel, are we careful to do our homework first?
While it may seem a stretch, there is much to be learned from our ancestors and their quest for milk white skin. Namely, that we should be cautious, scientific and safe in our pursuit of beauty.