Glutathione injections are growing increasingly popular for their touted skin-whitening and anti-aging benefits. With celebrities and influencers flaunting lighter skin, it’s no wonder why injecting glutathione for skin whitening has become a trend. But before jumping on the bandwagon, it’s important to understand what happens when you stop injecting glutathione.
I have compiled this blog post to overview the key things that happen when glutathione injections are halted, including potential glutathione injection side effects. As we will discuss, stopping glutathione injections could lead to skin darkening again after several months as the effects wear off. However, cessation also reduces the risks of complications like allergies, abdominal pain, headaches, and more.
Let’s first understand the basics of glutathione, the research on injecting glutathione for skin whitening, what the typical glutathione injection dosage is, glutathione skin bleaching, how long glutathione IV takes to work, and what the schedule looks like. Then we’ll unpack the impacts of stopping via subsections on skin darkening again, withdrawal effects, impact on anti-aging, and more. Buckle up – this is going to be a highly informative piece covering all you need to know about what happens when you quit injecting glutathione.
Glutathione Injections For Skin Whitening: An Overview
Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in many foods and also made by the liver. It plays a key role in cellular health and immune function. Scientists have studied whether injecting or infusing high doses of glutathione can have therapeutic effects on health and skin lightening.
Typical glutathione injections for skin whitening involve getting an IV infusion of glutathione once or twice per week, often for 6 weeks or longer. Common doses range from 500-1500 mg per IV session. Proponents suggest regular injections can provide glutathione injection benefits like:
- Inhibit melanin production for gradual skin lightening over 4-6 weeks
- Detoxify the body at a cellular level
- Boost antioxidant activity to fight aging
- Improve liver health for clearer, glowing skin
However, there is debate on whether the effects persist long-term or only as long as injections continue. The glutathione injection cost can range from $100-500 per session. As for how long glutathione IV takes to work, skin-lightening results may start to show in 4-6 weeks if treatments are sustained. Let’s review what tends to happen when they are halted.
Glutathione Injections Side Effects
✔ Skin Darkening Again
After stopping regular glutathione injections for skin whitening, one of the most obvious effects is that your skin will likely start to gradually darken again over 4-12 weeks. This happens as the inhibitory effects on melanin production wear off in the absence of high glutathione doses.
Some dermatologists suggest the skin’s natural pigmentation tends to fully return within 3-6 months after cessation. The duration likely varies based on your natural skin tone, sun exposure, and other factors. But make no mistake – the lightening effects are not believed to be permanent without ongoing glutathione therapy.
✔ Withdrawal Effects
When stopping high-dose glutathione injections abruptly after a prolonged period of treatment, some have reported withdrawal-type symptoms. Why does this happen?
It has to do with glutathione’s role in cellular processes like metabolism and detoxification. The body adapts to operating with increased glutathione levels. Take those away suddenly and issues may surface temporarily.
As noted in some user reviews and forums, these withdrawal-type effects could include:
- Headaches, fatigue, irritability – potentially from cellular stress
- Digestive discomfort, and nausea – from metabolic disruption
- Acne breakouts – due to detox changes
These symptoms may persist in the days and weeks after cessation but tend to resolve naturally after some time as homeostasis returns. Doctors usually advise tapering glutathione dosage rather than abruptly quitting after long-term therapy.
✔ Impact on Anti-Aging
Beyond skin-lightening effects, glutathione IVs are also believed to have anti-aging properties tied to antioxidants. Glutathione therapy helps address oxidative cellular damage from environment and metabolic factors – one key driver of aging.
Some small studies showed improved skin hydration, elasticity, and smoothness after glutathione IVs – suggesting anti-aging benefits for skin and potentially tissues like organs. However, just like the lightening effects, these anti-aging impacts are not thought to last far beyond the cessation of therapy.
Oral glutathione supplements or diet changes to boost natural glutathione after stopping IVs can help retain some of those positive effects. But injecting high-dose glutathione seems to provide the most dramatic anti-aging results – which then taper off after stopping treatment. Maintaining injections is advised for those pursuing slow aging only achievable through IV dosages.
Other Considerations
✔ Glutathione Injection Dosage
Here are some typical glutathione injection dosage guidelines:
- Skin Lightening – 500-1500mg 1-2 times per week
- General Health – 600-1200mg 1-2 times per week
- Chronic Illness Support – 1200-2400mg 1-3 times per week
- Autoimmune Disease – 1800-3000mg 1-5 times per week
- Lyme Disease – 3000-6000mg 1-7 times per week
- Chronic Fatigue – 3000-10000mg 1-7 times per week
Proper dosage depends on individual factors and desired effects. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for the recommended injection schedule and amount tailored to your needs. Start low and incrementally increase under medical supervision for maximum benefits and safety.
✔ Glutathione Injections Cost
Since high-dose glutathione therapy requires specialized facilities and trained staff, it predictably does not come cheap! The Glutathione injections cost per session can range from $100-500+ based on factors like:
- Dosage/Duration
- Additional vitamins or lipids used
- Type of medical clinic/medspa
- Geographic location
For those reliant on regular injections, twice weekly can easily amount to $800-2000+ per month. So cessation certainly provides substantial cost savings – which for many may influence or dictate the ability to pay for and continue treatments.
✔ Safety
While considered relatively safe for most healthy adults, glutathione injections are still an invasive procedure with some risks such as:
- Allergic reactions to glutathione or additives
- Blood sugar spikes (for diabetics)
- Abdominal pain, vomiting, headache
- Skin rashes, itching
- Dizziness, breathing issues
By stopping treatment, individuals inherently eliminate the risk of any potential side effects tied to IV therapy itself. However, some argue glutathione helps address the root of chronic inflammation and cellular damage. So cessation could enable those issues to gradually return as well.
✔ Convenience
There are many complex factors people may consider regarding glutathione injections. Dramatic skin lightening and anti-aging results are achievable from short IV sessions, without having to adopt major lifestyle changes.
However, realizing those results does require a considerable commitment to attend regular IV appointments – typically twice weekly. The sessions may take only 20-60 minutes but still present a continuous disruption if pursuing treatment for months.
Stopping injections eliminates the need for those very frequent, ongoing appointments. But also sacrifices the convenience factor that made this therapy so enticing, to begin with, vs. daily pills or creams.
Glutathione Skin Bleaching
Glutathione IVs can temporarily lighten skin tone due to antioxidant effects, but should not be used specifically for bleaching purposes. High doses may cause uneven tone or skin pigmentation. Glutathione’s beneficial role is for internal immune and detox support. For skin health, it’s better applied topically or taken orally in lower regular doses.
How Long Does Glutathione IV Take To Work?
Glutathione IV treatments help increase antioxidant levels in the body, but the benefits are not immediate. Most people start experiencing positive effects after around 2-3 sessions spaced over several weeks. Maximum benefits of glutathione IV therapy for conditions like autoimmunity, infections, or chronic fatigue syndrome often take 4-8 weeks of regular treatments to fully kick in.
Results depend on factors like dosage, administration method, and the patient’s initial glutathione deficiency. While not overnight, glutathione IVs can provide cumulative anti-inflammatory, detoxification, and immune-boosting results when administered consistently over time. Follow medical advice on the number and frequency of sessions needed to achieve desired outcomes.
Takeaways
In reviewing what happens when glutathione injections are stopped, it’s clear there are several important considerations at play. The most obvious is that after months, the skin is likely to start darkening again as the effects of the injections wear off. Cessation may also bring about symptoms like pimples, irritation, and fatigue as the body adjusts.
However, quitting glutathione injections also reduces inconvenient and costly appointments, and inherently lessens the risks of side effects associated with IV infusion therapy. Individuals have to weigh up these pros and cons to decide if they have the means and willingness to sustain treatment given impacts may not persist long-term after stopping.
The bottom line is injectable glutathione as a skin whitener has obvious appeal. But results require a significant ongoing investment of time and money – so know what you are getting into. For longer-term and more subtle lightening, daily oral glutathione supplements may be an alternative option. I encourage further research before starting any new skin therapy to ensure you have realistic expectations of the required effort and what will happen if you were to halt treatment.
What has been your experience with skin whitening injections? Did your skin tone change after stopping? Let me know in the comments!
References
- Wu G, Fang YZ, Yang S, Lupton JR, Turner ND. Glutathione metabolism and its health implications. J Nutr. 2004;134(3):489-492. doi:10.1093/jn/134.3.489
- Pizzorno J. Glutathione! Integr Med (Encinitas). 2014;13(1):8–12. PMID:26770075
