Skin whitening is favored by many as they think that fair skin is more beautiful and that it denotes one’s status in the society. This belief, being so prevalent among thousands of dark skinned women in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean islands, has made these people desperate that they have taken skin whitening to extremes.
When Beauty Treatments Kill
The media and the society have unconsciously set the standards of what is beautiful and what is not. A lighter complexion, thin, blonde – these are the characters mostly being played in a lot of ads, movies and TV shows – these are the women who gets the job, the man, the fame, everything! Even naturally dark-skinned celebrities like Rihanna and Beyonce are becoming fairer than their natural skin color.
A lot of African women take this idea of beauty seriously. Most of them admit that their desperation to find a man to marry is what drives them to bleach their skin. They say that men in their respective countries like women who are white or brown-skinned, but not black. They are serious with what they do, that even if a lot of lightening creams and products has already been banned by their government, most of them resort to using household bleach, hair straightening ingredients and other harmful chemicals.
According to Dr. Neil Persadsingh, a well-known dermatologist from Jamaica, most of the large amount of substances (Hydroquinone and steroids) found in skin lightening creams are dangerous as they kill the skin’s natural protection (melanin) against UV rays. They can also cause mutations in the body that may eventually lead to cancer. It doesn’t end here. Once a person stops using these chemicals, the skin slowly turns dark again and others end up with scales, bumps and even more damaged skin. What they don’t realize is that it whitens the skin temporarily but it can also leave it permanently damaged with the appearance of wrinkles, marks, and severe acne.
Campaign Against Killing Your Skin
Skin whitening for dark skin has gone extremely bad in some of the countries in Africa, especially in Jamaica. Aside from banning some whitening products, their government already started a campaign entitled “Don’t Kill The Skin”, hoping to educate the youth about the dangers of skin bleaching and to simply appreciate their color and heritage.
However, in America, the market for skin lightening products is still a growing industry and Hydroquinone is found in most of these whitening creams. Despite of the motion to ban this ingredient in 2006, the use of this hydroquinone cream is still legal as long as it is within the “safe” percentage of 2% for OTCpreparations and 4% for prescription products.
Smart Tips
To begin with, dark skin is beautiful! Despite of the media’s ideals for beauty, natural remains to be the real epitome of beauty. All you need to do is to keep your skin healthy and glowing without using any harmful chemicals. Here are the characteristics of a good skin whitening product for the African American skin:
- The skin lightening product must have the required ingredients for your skin type. They should contain generous amounts of natural ingredients such as glutathione, Vitamin C, kojic acid, azelaic acid, and arbutin. If possible, it should contain a larger amount of pine nut grass, which can prevent skin irritation.
- The bleaching creams must be free from mineral oils, alcohol, harmful bleaching ingredients and other chemicals, which can reduce the skin’s smoothness after prolonged use. It must also be able to cure problems such as inflammation, acne, and others.
- Choose lotions or creams that suit your specific skin type and specifically made to address skin problems of someone who has dark skin tone. Try Makari, a luxury brand of cosmetics and skin care products especially formulated for men and women of color. Their products do not contain bleach or hydroquinone so is gentle enough on the skin but effective in removing scars, stretch marks, pigment marks and liver spots. It is very affordable as well.
- Do you have sensitive skin that is prone to rash breakouts? If so, choosing the right product is important. You can test this by applying a small amount on your skin and checking to see if your skin reacts negatively.
- Don’t be so quick to choose the expensive products. Price isn’t a gauge of the product’s effectiveness. What you should ensure is that it is approved by the regulatory board and by other users.
Remember that your skin is a sensitive part of your body and so utmost care must be taken when choosing the product to use. With the many choices you have, it can easily become overwhelming and confusing. However, if you always keep “natural” in mind then you will never go wrong.
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