And white is the new black…
Lazarus
Sauti
“Beauty
is a natural thing, original thing and a mysterious thing hey. Rise up ma voice
and sing I thank the lord for a beauty queen. Cause your black is beautiful;
your black is natural, (ahhhhhahh) black is original,” goes lyrics of Flavour’s
track ‘Black is Beautiful’.
In
the track, the Nigerian artist is not only appreciating the beauty of the black
skin, but is also boosting black people’s sense of self-worth and identity.
Whilst
black is beautiful and appealing to Flavour, it seems the pigment is not really
beautiful to some Africans as most women bleach their skins.
Simply
put, bleaching is the process of whitening or lightening any material by the
use of chemicals. Skin bleaching, therefore, involves using chemicals to
lighten skin tone or provide an even skin complexion by lessening the
concentration of melanin in the human skin.
Melanin
is responsible for giving black colouring in the human skin.
When
skin bleaching cream is applied to the body, the effectiveness of the pigment
is hindered.
There
are various reasons why people bleach their skins to become whiter than they
were before which include among others: low self-esteem, self-hate, peer group
and quest for beauty.
In
many parts of Africa, lighter-skinned women are considered more beautiful and
are believed to be more successful and likely to find marriage, a fact
supported by Sede Alonge, a Nigerian writer, photographer and lawyer, who added
that “physical attraction is instinctive and lighter skinned women are bound to
attract more attention from men in a dark skinned society”.
Dermatologist
Elidje Ekra added: “In our cultures, some people think women with light skin
are the most beautiful. This beauty standard … pushes many girls to de-pigment
their skin.”
South
African musician, Nomasonto ‘Mshoza’ Mnisi, now several shades lighter thanks
to bleaching, says her new ‘white skin’ makes her feel more beautiful and
confident.
“I
have been black and dark-skinned for many years; I wanted to see the other side.
I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and I am happy. Yes, part of
it (bleaching) is a self-esteem issue and I have addressed that and I am happy
now. I am not white inside, I am not really fluent in English, I have black
kids. I am a township girl; I have just changed the way I look on the outside,”
she said.
Media
practitioner, Richmore Chijoko, says bleaching is fueled by the media. “White
is fast becoming the new black and this wave is fueled by the media as
representation of dark skinned women in the media, especially advertising is
scarce. Cosmetic companies rarely use dark skinned models for their
advertisement campaigns,” he said.
Molecular
cell biologist, Dr Lester Davids says bleaching is risky. “The dangers
associated with the use of some of these creams include blood cancers such as
leukaemia and cancers of the liver and kidneys, as well as a severe skin
condition called ochronosis, a form of hyper-pigmentation which causes the skin
to turn a dark purple shade,” he said.
Dr
Davids added: “Very few Africans know the concentration of the toxic compounds
that are contained in the products on the black market and that is concerning.
We need to do more to educate people about these dangerous products.”
The
World Health Organisation notes that most hard-core bleachers use illegal
ointments containing toxins like mercury, a metal that blocks production of
melanin, which gives the skin its colour, but can also be toxic.
“There
are a number of materials or chemicals used in skin bleaching. Few among the
many are: mercury, hydroquinone, niacin amide, kojic acid, arbutin, lactic
acid, gel, shea butter, topical retinoids, and corticosteroids among others.
“Mercury
is the very dangerous chemical that medical officials found in the skin
lightening creams that sickened the women, the dangers of mercury are several.
It can damage the kidneys and wreak havoc on the nervous system,” the WHO said.
Further,
as noted by the World Health Organisation, symptoms of mercury toxicity take in
irritability, headaches, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, memory loss, numbness,
tingling in the hands, feet or around the lips, insomnia, depression and weight
loss.
Health
practitioners say they are seeing more patients whose skin has been damaged by
years of bleaching – most of the time irreversibly.
“I
am getting patients from all over Africa needing help with treating their
ochronosis. There is very little we can do to reverse the damage and yet people
are still in denial about the side-effects of these products,” said Dr Noora
Moti-Joosub, a qualified medical doctor practicing as a professional
dermatologist.
Christian
Doudouko, a member of Ivory Coast’s pharmaceutical authority added: “The number
of people with side-effects caused by these medicines is really high. Skin
cancer is believed to be a side effect of the products, Doudouko added, citing
other health complications including high blood pressure and diabetes.
African
governments should ban skin whitening creams, simply by issuing health warnings
over the products.
Recently,
the Ivory Coast banned all skin-whitening creams and lotions over fears that
the cosmetic products can cause long-term health problems.
A
statement from the health ministry advised that “cosmetic lightening and
hygiene creams … that de-pigment the skin … are now forbidden.”
The
ban is primarily aimed at unregulated whitening creams and lotions that contain
mercury and its derivatives, cortisone, vitamin A, or more than two percent
hydroquinine, a lightening agent that is used to develop photographs.
African
journalist, Siji Jabbar, says since self-esteem issues are the main cause for
the consumption of these creams, parents should emphasise to their children
that they are unique and beautiful just the way they are, no matter what skin
tone they have.
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