50 Shades lighter

50 Shades Lighter

Skin-lightening is the application of various cosmetic products to the skin with the objective of obtaining a lightened complexion by reducing melanin content. The desire for lighter skin or ‘fair complexion’ has increased in Africa over the years. Researchers discovered that 25% of women in Bamaki, Mali use skin-lightening products. In Pretoria, 35% of women do so. A further 52% of women in Dakar, Senegal use skin-lightening products and in Lagos, Nigeria, a study found that 77 % of women traders use skin-lightening products. Other African countries where these products are reportedly in heavy use include Togo, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Zambia and Tanzania. Studies done among the black population of Europe and the United States of America suggest that similar practises exist there as well.

Women are no longer comfortable with their dark skin. They have a lot of reasons as to why they turn to skin bleaching: some bleach their skin to please society and some do it to feel attractive and loved. After my research, it became clear that these women are not aware of the dangers of the chemicals in the creams that they use to lighten their skin. All they want to do is be paler and forget that the decision to skin bleach comes with a lot of responsibilities and sometimes diseases. Hydroquinone - originally employed as an industrial chemical - is used because of its effectiveness in suppressing melanin production. But the use of this product is dangerous as a skin-lightening technique because exposure to the sun after application leads to skin damage.

Long-term hydroquinone use can lead to a paradoxical increased pigmentation (an effect of

medical treatment, usually a drug, opposite to the effect that would normally be expected) of

the skin known as exogenous Ochronosis. Exogenous Ochronosis is an avoidable skin

inflammation that can be caused by the topical application of compounds such as hydroquinone. Other serious complications include loss of skin elasticity, skin cancer and impaired wound healing. The use of corticosteroids is associated with complications that include glaucoma, cataracts, hypertension, severe birth defects, diabetes mellitus, allergic contact dermatitis and eczema.

In 1992, the use of Hydroquinone was banned in South Africa after it was concluded that it was toxic… but it’s still very popular in our streets. Recently, several celebrities admitted to bleaching their skin. Nicki Minaj is one of them and her decision to skin bleach was because she wanted to ‘look good’. South African Kwaito star ‘MSHOZA’ told DRUM magazine that she bleached because she got tired of being ‘ugly’. After reading the magazine, I was surprised that people are so fussy about colour and shocked by the measures they take to ‘get even’ with society. Who cares if you are lighter or darker?

Skin colour is nothing but a pigmentation, so it should not govern how people treat you. Women need to love themselves as they are: whether you are black or white or grey, you are still human. To skin bleach is not a ‘must’ but a choice. If you don’t accept yourself, no-one will. What are you telling your children? After twenty years of democracy, South African women are failing to recognise themselves as beautiful, dark-skinned Africans.

By: Andiswa Meke