Khanyi Mbau has admitted to “overdoing” her skin lightening treatment, claiming that it has made her “sensitive to sunburning like a white person”.
Speaking to fans on video-sharing site Voov recently, Khanyi explained that she had been using skin lightening products for years, which led to her pink complexion.
“People who (are) lightening their skins using gallons and overdose on (skin whitening products) glutathione tend to have skin like mine. Pinkish, lightish, like an albino colour,” Khanyi said.
She admitted that an overdose of glutathione would not normally result in such pale skin but said that she had overdone it.
“My skin does (have this complexion) because I overdo everything in life. There is no side effects. All it does is make me lighter and it is like having loads of vitamin C, which means I don’t get the flu easily,” Khanyi said.
She added that the treatment also made her susceptible to sunburn like a white person.
Khanyi’s complexion has sparked debate several times over the last few years, including earlier this year when she uploaded pictures of herself with pink skin. The pictures led to fresh rumours of the star skin bleaching.
Even though she had been lightening her skin for years, Khanyi said she has never bleached her skin.
“There’s this thing where people believe that I bleach my skin. I don’t bleach my skin, I lighten it. There is a difference between lightening and bleaching, and people just don’t get it,” Khanyi said.
Speaking to Phat Joe on East Coast Radio earlier this year, Khanyi explained the difference.
“Lightening is non-invasive‚ it also boosts your immune system and helps with anti-ageing, ” she said.