It is no longer news that a
lot of Nigerians are obsessed
with the colour of their skin.
A lot of women (and even
men too) want to look
“yellow” and as a result have
turned to bleaching in order
to look fairer. I remember a
dark friend of mine telling
me that she never liked
hanging out with “yellow
girls” as she always felt less
beautiful in their midst.
Whatever happened to black
is beautiful?
Bleaching or skin whitening
involves the use of
cosmetics to whiten or
lighten the skin tone. The
World Health Organisation
(“WHO”) estimates that 77%
of Nigerian women use
bleaching products – this is
the highest in the world.
This statistic is alarming
because bleaching or skin
lightening is a very
dangerous practice. The
chemical substances used in
bleaching are harmful as
they include such strong
formulations as
hydroquinone, Arbutin,
Kojic acid and Azelaic acid.
These compounds prevent
the formation of melanin
and reduce its concentration
in the skin. If you are
unfamiliar with melanin, it
is the skin pigment that
protects your skin from the
damaging effects of sunlight.
It is the skin pigment that
ensures that human beings
are adapted to the tropical
environment of Africa.
Melanin is found in the skin
of every black African for a
reason so why is there such
a desire to get this pigment
out of the skin? One could
understand a desire to
develop a more even skin
tone. However, many
women go above and
beyond this in order to get a
lighter skin.
Skin bleaching has become
endemic in Nigeria. There
are a lot of women who feel
that using bleaching creams
of is the shortest road to
being beautiful. Apparently,
some women believe that
being fairer makes them
more beautiful and
successful and therefore
more likely to find a
husband. Even our
celebrities are not left out,
although you would hope
that they use more
expensive and sophisticated
products. The truth is
irrespective of price tag,
bleaching/skin lightening
products are extremely
hazardous. WHO has listed
the dangers associated with
skin bleaching as cancer of
the bloods (such as
leukemia), skin, liver and
kidneys as well as serious
skin conditions. These
conditions will not manifest
immediately but in the long
term, skin bleaching could
really put your life in
danger.
Some bleaching creams are
euphemistically branded as
toning creams due to the
negative perceptions of
bleaching, but a study of the
ingredients by a team of
researchers at a Bayero
University, Kano showed
that the ingredients are
equally as dangerous and
can cause mutations in
bacteria.
There is also the
psychological problem that
comes with attempting to
change the colour of one’s
skin. If you are not satisfied
with the skin God has
blessed you with, you are
bound to start feeling
inferior like my friend
mentioned at the start of the
article. If you start believing
that you need a lighter skin
to be successful in life, then
you are doing yourself a
huge disservice. Like former
South African President
Nelson Mandela once said
“whoever is not proud of his
colour is not fit to live”.
Ladies, please let us be
content and proud with the
skin colour God has blessed
us with. Indeed, black is
beautiful.