Ivory Coast has banned skin-whitening creams due to fears
that they cause lasting damage to health. The
announcement was made via a statement released by the
country’s health ministry, which reads in part “Cosmetic
lightening and hygiene creams … that depigment the skin
… are now forbidden,” Guardian UK reports.
According to the report “the ban affects whitening creams
and lotions containing mercury and its derivatives,
cortisone, vitamin A or more than two percent
hydroquinine, a lightening agent that is used to develop
photographs.”
Speaking on the ban, Elidje Ekra, a dermatologist at the
Treichville University Hospital in Abidjan, said: “In our
cultures, some people think women with light skin
are the most beautiful. This beauty standard … pushes
many girls to depigment their skin,” she said.
“What we see in the media is the lighter one’s skin is, the
better one’s life,” he added, referring to advertisements
that
fill the streets of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s biggest city,
showing models with lighter-than-average skin. While the
craze is most widespread among women, some men use
the creams too.”
Christian Doudouko, a member of Ivory Coast’s
pharmaceutical authority, warned against the dangers of
using such creams, as they can cause skin cancer, and can
also lead to and exacerbate hypertension and diabetes.
The report further mentions that use of such creams are
even more widespread in Nigeria than Ivory Coast. Also,
creams are also extremely popular in many countries in
Asia, including India, Pakistan and Japan, as well as in the
Middle East.



http://gist4real.com/2015/05/ivory-coast-bans-skin-lighting-cream-bleaching/

wish same could be done in Nigeria......when u tell a naija girl dat she is bleaching, she'll tell u she's just trying to bring out her colour........u'll begin to ask urself where d colour has been all these while