Does bleach melt skin?

Question

I was in a chemical safety class where some one told us that when you don't wear gloves with liquid bleach that the slippery feeling you get is actually your skin melting off. Is this true?

So there are two theories here-
One is that the fat and oils on your skin turn react with this base turning into soap.
And the other is that alkalines are simply slippery and that is a defining characteristic.

If the former is true, then it sounds like this reaction might still be potent enough to affect the skin. Lye after all is, as "Fight Club" proved, quite the toxic chemical to skin. Or am I mistaken?

If the latter is true- does this really explain what is physically happening? Why, in other words, do alkalines feel slippery?

Thanks by the way for your answers. Intriguing!

Answer 1

bleach or sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), is an alkaline solution. when it contacts your skin, it reacts with the fat that is on your skin and forms some kind of soap, which is why you feel slippery. at higher concentrations or to more sensitive skins it can cause irritation or even chemical burning (which is worse than burning with flame). but it won't melt your skin, melting is when a solid turns to a liquid at happens at high temperatures.

Answer 2

No, that is not true. Liquid bleach is alkaline. All alkaline solutions are slippery to the touch. That's one of their characteristics and makes them easy to distinguish from an acid.

Not a good idea to run this test on an unknown, though. Very strong bases, such as sodium hydroxide, DO dissolve tissue quite easily. In fact, bases are more dangerous than acids in this regard, despite what sci fi films portray. So don't let anything touch your skin unless you know what it is and how to let it do so safely.

Answer 3

You should read Laura Jefferson’s book "Skin Whitening At Home" ( I saw it's also available in electronic format +video: http://www.skinwhiteningathome.com ). After 8 weeks I managed to get my skin a few tones whiter and I also got rid of freckles.

The method she teaches in her book is natural, inexpensive, and is readily available in most homes. You could even find some ingredients in your own backyard. The most wonderful thing about the method she shares in her book is that it will help you whiten or lighten your skin pigmentations, freckles, age spots, acne marks, dark underarms, melasma, or your overall skin color easily and naturally without breaking your bank or producing dangerous side effects. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Bleach is weak hydrocloric acid the same stuff that your stomach uses to digest food. It will burn your skin, but not melt it.

Answer 5

I sure hope not.
Bleach is very useful. As a diluted solution, it is one of the most effective disinfectants known to man. The slippery feeling is due to the fact that it is a "base", An example of a base is soap.

Answer 6

the pH is a base- you have fat and oil on/ in your skin.

you are sort of turning your fat cells into soap