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Bleaching: Nigeria Tops List Of African Countries Whose Women Bleach Their Skin / Pls Help Is Caro White A Bleaching Cream? / See How Bleaching Cream Destroyed This Girl’s Body [photo] (2) (3) (4)
Bleaching In Nigeria by Ayemco(f): 3:51pm On Feb 03, 2015 |
What is skin bleaching? To begin with, it is important to state that these words – skin toning, skin whitening, skin lightening, and skin bleaching all practically refer to the same thing. Skin bleaching is the use of chemical substances to lighten skin tone or provide an even skin complexion by lessening the concentration of melanin available in the skin. Many of these substances have grave and toxic effects on the human body when used indiscriminately but millions of colored people worldwide especially in developing countries like Nigeria have continued to use these products over the years. The problem of widespread skin bleaching in Nigeria is made worse by the unregulated sales of bleaching products in stores and by roadsides traders in many cities and towns across the country. Many of the products are smuggled into the country illegally and sold in poorly labeled containers. Also, in standard supermarkets and even pharmacies, bleaching products (usually with deceptive descriptions as ‘toning’, ‘complexion lightening’ ‘complexion enhancer’ and other nomenclatures are sold to millions of people in the country. Despite the known dangers associated with the use of skin bleaching substances, demands for these products have continued to rise. This is because trading in skin bleaching products is a big, global business, almost reaching $10 billion each year. What factor determines human skin colour? Human skin color is genetically determined by the quantity of melanin in the skin. People with dark skin have more melanin in their skin. This is a pigment produced by cells called melanocytes. Other factors which may affect the production of melanin are: – Sunlight exposure – Hormones, – Skin damage, and – Exposure to certain chemicals can also affect melanin production. Why do some individuals want to bleach their skin? The major reason is social – a desire to look more ‘glamorous’. Many psychologists however believe that underneath this social drive, there lies a sort of psychological inadequacy which individuals who opt out for bleaching have regarding their original skin outlook. The idea that to look good is to look white seems to be at the bedrock of this false psychology. Other commonly alluded reasons are: – Fashionability: to become more acceptable in some social circles, as looking white is ignorantly considered fashionable in these circles – ‘CONFIDENCE’: some women feel more confident. They believe they stand better chance in society (including marriage prospects) if their skin is white. This is because of the prevailing erroneous notion about the superiority of a white complexion compared to the dark and a general believe that a fairer skin makes success in life more easily attainable – CELEBRITY INFLUENCE: The propensity of celebrities (especially celebrity artistes and sportsmen and women) to indulge in the practice. Being models and mentors to teeming youth admirers and fans, their actions inspire these followers to also engage in the habit in a bid to look like their admired icons. Advertisers of bleaching or lightening products also deliberately make use of these celebrities to cast advert shots, making bleaching more acceptable with the image of popular celebrities. – There are also a few medical indications: vitiligo and localized skin discoloration. Skin lightening or bleaching is not restricted to women; men also bleach. However, many people in Nigeria also bleach out of ignorance. This is a result of using bleaching cosmetic products unknowingly. Over 70% of Nigerian women are believed to be using skin lightening products – making the country one of those with the highest rate of skin bleaching in the world. Many Nigerians are not familiar with the marketing gimmicks of marketers of bleaching products. Innocently, many buy and use products classified as: – Lightening – Toning – Complexion lightening They buy and use these products thinking they are not the same thing as bleaching products – in actual fact, they all basically are the same thing. Methods of skin bleaching There are a number of ways that skin lightening or bleaching can be achieved. – Segmental bleaching: restricted to some parts of the body, especially the face and arms, selected hyper- pigmented areas e.g in cases of discoloration, vitiligo etc. – Total bleaching: bleaching of the entire body area. Some medical situations where skin bleaching may be embarked upon – Treatment of vitiligo – Elimination of areas of abnormally high pigmentation e.g moles, birthmarks The medical complications and side-effects – Premature aging of the skin – Leukemias (Blood cancers) – Other cancers – Skin cancers – Kidney disorders including kidney failure – Liver disease – Skin disfigurement and poor skin integrity – Risks of skin infections – Poor wound healing on the skin – Weight gain – Stretch marks – Infertility – Poor pregnancy outcomes – Neurological disorders (problems associated with the nervous system) Skin lotions and cosmetics: Important tips for making a healthy choice Check your cosmetic for any of these chemicals. If these chemicals are present, do not use on your skin. – Hydroquinone – Mercury – Steroids (e.g cortisone) – Tretinoin – Ascorbic acid or vitamin C [higher levels] – Alpha hydroxyl acids – Niacinamide The list is not exhaustive; there are others. Always cross-check with your doctor before using a skin product. These chemicals act by blocking the production of melanin. Melanin is responsible for black pigmentation in human skin. Use of these chemicals in skin cosmetics have been banned in several countries because of their hazards to health. There are many types of formulations being sold in many places in Nigeria. There are also different routes of administration: cream and lotion, pills (to be swallowed) and injectables. Apart from the regular skin bleaching or lightening products there are also manufacturers marketing natural products. Most of these natural alternatives are merely plant extracts containing the precursor of hydroquinone. They carry the same risks and are in no way safer or risk-free. |
Re: Bleaching In Nigeria by Sabadon(m): 4:33pm On Feb 03, 2015 |
informative tho long bt it really got some nice info....for all those light skin dark legs,dis is a must read 1 Like |
Re: Bleaching In Nigeria by good4all: 4:44pm On Feb 03, 2015 |
This post is extremely beneficial, front page pls |
Re: Bleaching In Nigeria by Nobody: 9:19pm On Feb 03, 2015 |
Good one op, do you have a source or did you come up with this by yourself? Kudos if you did |
Re: Bleaching In Nigeria by PRISTINEMUSCLES: 9:19pm On Feb 03, 2015 |
Low self-esteem is the main reason why so many gals indulge in bleaching. The media and the entertainment circle are not helping matters either. Hardly do you ever see a natural dark gal on the pages of magazines or adverts. It is only fair gals we keep on seeing. Like i will always say Dark is beautiful Dark is strong Dark is virile. Dark is resilient Dark is powerful. I am proud to be DARK. |
Re: Bleaching In Nigeria by adedam007(m): 8:09am On Feb 04, 2015 |
Very informative |
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