Thai clinic offers 'brighter' genitals: what is laser skin whitening?

A Bangkok hospital has recently gained popularity for an unorthodox cosmetic surgery procedure. Earlier this week, a video posted on Facebook by Lelux Hospital showed a medical technician servicing the lower body area of a male patient lying on a table. As of Jan. 4, the post had been viewed more than 4 million times and had more than 10,000 comments, according to Newsweek.Lelux's marketing manager, Popol Tansakul, told Germany's DPA International news agency:

*** Whitening procedures use lasers -" the same pigmented laser devices used in other skin treatments" - to break down melanin in skin cells. [8 Wild Facts About ***]

Laser skin lightening works by destroying melanocytes (the cells that produce the skin pigment melanin) without damaging the skin's surface, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This technique is commonly used to treat age spots or other isolated dark spots, and the Mayo Clinic says there are few side effects, other than increased sensitivity to the sun. However, applying the technique to the highly sensitive genital area could pose risks, including " ***, allergies and inflammation," Dr. Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, deputy director-general of Thailand's Department of Health Services Support, reports the BBC News Agency. "KDSPE" KDSPs visit many potential patients at the Lelux Clinic in Hong Kong, Cambodia and Myanmar to find a brighter future for their genitals. "KDSPE""KDSPs""We have about 100 clients a month, three to four clients a day," Bunthita Wattanasiri said. A manager of the hospital's skin and laser department told AFP,

The clinic's *** whitening became popular a few months ago because of its use of cosmetic *** whitening, the BBC reported. Hospital officials then received numerous requests to lighten the *** weight, and about a month later they began offering the service, which costs $650 for five sessions, according to the BBC.

In Thailand and other countries, the popularity of cosmetic whitening is often associated with social customs and pressures that favor light skin over dark skin; light skin is associated with increased social status. According to the BBC, a representative of Leroy Hospital estimates that about 50 percent of its clients visit the hospital for skin whitening treatments.

is the original article on life sciences.