Why was Michael Jackson depressed

Michael Jackson: The cold bleached his skin

The "King of Pop" is dead. For his image of an ideal face, Michael Jackson took operations and skin bleaching to extremes - until he often only wanted to show it veiled. Michael Jackson abused surgical and dermatological options until his nose was disfigured and his skin was so pigment-free that it no longer afforded sun protection.

From Angela Speth

Michael Jackson wanted to meet western beauty standards, to present himself as a light-skinned man with European facial features. For this idea he used and abused surgical and dermatological options until his nose was disfigured and his skin was so pigment-free that it no longer afforded light protection. His face half hidden behind scarves and breathing masks - shortly before his death, he often only dared to go public.

Medical power seemed unlimited to him

The music star has risen in spheres where everything seemed to lie at his feet, including medicine and doctors, says Dr. Gerhard Sattler, head of the Rosenpark Clinic in Darmstadt: "He is inferior to these suggestive promises." Since he apparently rejected his skin color as well as his ethnically determined nose shape, he not only underwent more than 50 cosmetic operations, but also often repeated bleaching. There are three methods of lightening the skin: applying a hydroquinone-containing agent that is also approved in Germany, cryotherapy and chemical peeling. "Judging by the complexion, I am convinced that Michael Jackson had extensive cryopeeling," says Sattler, adding: "He must have thought: This is the suit I want to wear." Normally, however, the icing only happens selectively with pigment spots. The frequent, extended applications at least on the hands and face would have damaged the skin and, by destroying the melanin, made it sensitive to the sun and susceptible to skin cancer. Sattler also considers the treatment to have failed because the skin looks bad: veined, thin, scarred, parchment-like, neglected. He rejects the repeatedly launched report that the lightening is based on vitiligo: Because these spots look like they have been punched out, a diffuse lightening, especially on the face, is extremely unlikely.

The bleaching of the skin has alienated him from his origins

Doctors would have done things in disregard of the principles of their profession to a person who would have needed psychological care, criticized Sattler. "The bleaching of the skin goes to the roots of ethnic origin." However, one must consider: Michael Jackson grew up in a time when discrimination against blacks was still a reality. Nevertheless, one can still see the pictures of the boy jumping around happily on the stage - and in contrast to that, today's appearance. Sattler: "His life could not develop into bloom, but the arc has tended to decline."

Could the frequent bleaching have contributed to death from cardiac arrest? Not directly, says Sattler, but indirectly because they are pieces of the mosaic of a lifestyle that has ruined the body.

Cryopeeling actually freezes skin marks

Temperatures down to -190 ° Celsius are mostly used against age spots. Three bleaching methods are common.

  • Applying an external agent that contains hydroquinone: It expels the melanocytes from the basal cell layer. At most, a slight lightening is possible with this. Stronger effects can only be achieved through daily use for one to two years. Indications are for example: color difference between right and left hand due to different exposure to the sun or hyperpigmentation. This chloasma or melasma is caused by hormones (during pregnancy or tumors), medication (birth control pills, anti-epileptic drugs) or cosmetics. Dark circles can develop in dark-skinned people. Or essential oils from perfumes burn themselves into the skin by the sun.
  • Cryopeeling: A probe immersed in liquid air or another refrigerant is pressed onto the skin. Since the melanocytes are more sensitive to cold than the other skin cells, they die without damaging the surrounding epithelium. The simple procedure, which has been known for around 100 years, is mainly used against age spots, but also against keratoses, keloids, liver spots or warts. Complications include scars, irregular light or dark discoloration, and tissue death.
  • Chemical peeling: The gentle variant with fruit acid removes only the top layer of horny cells, the more aggressive chemical burn with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) also removes the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The TCA peel includes antivirals and antibiotics to prevent infection. The treatment can be repeated at intervals. The skin grows back tighter and firmer, pigment spots are removed and acne scars are flattened. Complications: infections, pain, redness and swelling. (ars)

You can also read about this:Ugly nose, ugly face? Michael Jackson's family apparently feared drug addiction

You can also read about this: Jackson's family had a second autopsy