Hi, ladies. Welcome to WOMANHOOD. This new column as the name suggests, is intended to discuss issues pertaining to the womenfolk. It will also provide a platform for exchange of ideas on matters that are geared towards enhancing the dignity of the womenfolk as well as promoting their cause. In this debut, we shall look into a subject that appears to be a road well-travelled, yet, we keep stumbling to our own embarrassment. So, ladies, let’s keep in touch. Have a pleasant reading:
Skin Bleaching: A Shameful And Deadly Misadventure(First Published in Summit Newspaper on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 Mrs Nike Oluwole)
The popular slogan ‘Black is beautiful’ obviously does not make any sense to many blacks especially the womenfolk. Here in Nigeria, many dark-skinned women (and surprisingly, a few men) would rather be white or light-skinned because they erroneously believe that fair skins are more beautiful to behold. With this misguided belief, they embark on a journey of bleaching their skins, using creams that contain bleaching agents or chemicals regularly. Some women are so enslaved by the bleaching culture that after using the creams for some time, they no longer derive satisfaction in the use of one type of cream at a time. So, they mix different types of the bleaching creams together, some up to four different types, and rub them on their skin to get their desired light complexion.
But unknown to these people who play God by changing their skin colour, those creams that help them achieve their desire fuelled by inferiority complex, contain dangerous chemicals that constitute serious health hazards. An article posted to the internet by blackbeautyandhair.com reveals the deadly nature of skin bleaching as prolonged use of those bleaching creams are said to cause serious health conditions like poisoning, convulsions, asthma, leukemia, liver damage, anaphylactic shock, infertility, skin cancer and death on operating tables (during surgeries) because bleached skins are difficult to stitch!
Deadly bleaching agentsThe article written by Yeye Akilimali Olade discloses that the most commonly used bleaching agent, Hydroquinone, in those skin lightening creams is a chemical used to process films in the darkroom of photo studios, and is very dangerous on human skin.
Mercury is another bleaching agent, described as a highly toxic chemical which can cause the skin to turn grey, blue or black, rather than make it lighter, and it has resulted in users of those creams suffering from mercury poisoning. According to the write-up, even small doses of mercury can cause neurological damage. And there are more of such dangerous chemicals loaded in the skin bleaching creams!
How the creams workExplaining how the bleaching creams work, the article says they strip the skin of its natural pigmentation which provides natural protection from the sun for dark-skinned people. When this protection is removed, the skin is exposed to direct rays of the sun which causes severe damage to it. This, according to the article, is the reason many of the bleaching creams contain sunscreen, or come with instructions advising people to use sun protection creams along with the products.
It, however, warns that these so-called precautionary measures notwithstanding, prolonged use of those bleaching creams makes the skin more vulnerable to damage. It says those using such creams end up with rough and blotchy skin, which gets them entrapped in the bleaching culture as they have to use more of the creams to try to correct the problem, and in the process, cause more damage to their skin. Others entrapped in this dangerous pastime are said to continue using the creams because exposure to the sun causes their artificially lightened skin to get darker.
The organisation posted pictures of some people who bleached their skins and ended up with horrifying dark patches on their faces, necks and shoulders. They look repulsive to say the least. Some of the pictures carry the warning captions ‘Destroy Your Skin and End Up with Skin Cancer!’, ‘Bleach and Die!’, ‘Bleach and be a Monster Like Michael Jackson!’, ‘Bleach and those Chemicals will Destroy Your Skin in the Long Run!’, ‘These South African Brother and Sister are Regretting Bleaching Now!’
The article advises those who have been indulging in this deadly misadventure of de-coloration to stop it now, and refrain from using any make-up (not even powder) until their skin returns to normal, saying that the skin would repair the damage after they stop. They are also advised to pray for the restoration of their skin to take place or consult a specialist. Those are the only ways to restore damaged or bleached skins, according to the write-up.
But I wonder how many of the women who are neck deep in the bleaching culture would be prepared to step out of their homes without any make-up, not even powder on their faces. Women who bleach their skins are very artificial by nature, and so, they complement the bleaching with heavy make-ups. They are not the kind of people who can appear natural for any reason because they have a complex (inferiority) that makes them believe they are not presentable as they are. This underscores the tendency to be trapped in the bleaching habit by those who lighten their skin.
Black is beautifulBut in the final analysis, I think the issue of putting a stop to using bleaching creams and make-ups is a matter of life and death or how much one values one’s life. I believe there is no sacrifice that is too much to make to stay alive. So, if women who have damaged their skins with bleaching creams really value their lives, they shouldn’t have much trouble adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate the counsel of that writer. Anyone who knows the importance of her life would do whatever it takes to keep it. What should be paramount in the minds of those women is not how to appear in public without make-ups but how to salvage their damaged skins to avoid the deadly consequences listed above.
Black is beautiful and we should be proud of our colour. It is a very wrong notion to say that light-skinned people are more beautiful than their dark counterparts. That idea is just an impression, which only affects you when you believe it. If you don’t believe that light skins make people more beautiful, then your dark skin will not be a shame to you. You will be contented with being black and even proud of it. It is when you believe the erroneous notion that you begin to have the urge to do something to change your colour.
It is worthy of note here that there are still women one could refer to as black beauties. They are black and beautiful, and they do not see any need to bleach their skin because they know that they are pretty enough as women. As a matter of fact, a woman’s beauty is best appreciated when she is dark-skinned. Because it would be very clear that her beauty is natural and not artificial, for many light-skinned women we see around have actually tampered with their skin colour. Only if their knees, elbows and knuckles are black can you tell that they were naturally black. Those are parts of the body that are obviously too hard for the bleaching creams to handle. But for those who bleach their skin in a more sophisticated manner involving bleaching machines, you can hardly tell the difference between their bleached skin and a naturally light skin.
Avoid those dangerous creams To the ladies who have not trod that path of dishonour, I urge you not to jump on the bandwagon. Do not bleach your skin for any reason. God has a purpose for creating you black. And you have no right whatsoever to question His judgement. Bleaching is a deadly misadventure that must be avoided by all who desire to live long and healthy. And for those who think they have perfected the art of bleaching, what you call lightening creams are actually agents of death. They kill you gradually as you rub them daily on your skins! Artificially lightened skins result in life-threatening medical conditions, unlike naturally light ones. What you are beckoning at by engaging in that despicable act of bleaching is in fact death and not what you really desire. Accept your colour and do what that well-meaning organisation says in that article: STOP USING THOSE CREAMS NOW! The medical conditions caused by the bleaching creams are critical enough to keep anyone who values life away from them. You must act now before those creams push you into the (early) grave they’ve been digging for you since you began to use them. A word, they say, is sufficient for the wise.
But unknown to these people who play God by changing their skin colour, those creams that help them achieve their desire fuelled by inferiority complex, contain dangerous chemicals that constitute serious health hazards. An article posted to the internet by blackbeautyandhair.com reveals the deadly nature of skin bleaching as prolonged use of those bleaching creams are said to cause serious health conditions like poisoning, convulsions, asthma, leukemia, liver damage, anaphylactic shock, infertility, skin cancer and death on operating tables (during surgeries) because bleached skins are difficult to stitch!
Deadly bleaching agentsThe article written by Yeye Akilimali Olade discloses that the most commonly used bleaching agent, Hydroquinone, in those skin lightening creams is a chemical used to process films in the darkroom of photo studios, and is very dangerous on human skin.
Mercury is another bleaching agent, described as a highly toxic chemical which can cause the skin to turn grey, blue or black, rather than make it lighter, and it has resulted in users of those creams suffering from mercury poisoning. According to the write-up, even small doses of mercury can cause neurological damage. And there are more of such dangerous chemicals loaded in the skin bleaching creams!
How the creams workExplaining how the bleaching creams work, the article says they strip the skin of its natural pigmentation which provides natural protection from the sun for dark-skinned people. When this protection is removed, the skin is exposed to direct rays of the sun which causes severe damage to it. This, according to the article, is the reason many of the bleaching creams contain sunscreen, or come with instructions advising people to use sun protection creams along with the products.
It, however, warns that these so-called precautionary measures notwithstanding, prolonged use of those bleaching creams makes the skin more vulnerable to damage. It says those using such creams end up with rough and blotchy skin, which gets them entrapped in the bleaching culture as they have to use more of the creams to try to correct the problem, and in the process, cause more damage to their skin. Others entrapped in this dangerous pastime are said to continue using the creams because exposure to the sun causes their artificially lightened skin to get darker.
The organisation posted pictures of some people who bleached their skins and ended up with horrifying dark patches on their faces, necks and shoulders. They look repulsive to say the least. Some of the pictures carry the warning captions ‘Destroy Your Skin and End Up with Skin Cancer!’, ‘Bleach and Die!’, ‘Bleach and be a Monster Like Michael Jackson!’, ‘Bleach and those Chemicals will Destroy Your Skin in the Long Run!’, ‘These South African Brother and Sister are Regretting Bleaching Now!’
The article advises those who have been indulging in this deadly misadventure of de-coloration to stop it now, and refrain from using any make-up (not even powder) until their skin returns to normal, saying that the skin would repair the damage after they stop. They are also advised to pray for the restoration of their skin to take place or consult a specialist. Those are the only ways to restore damaged or bleached skins, according to the write-up.
But I wonder how many of the women who are neck deep in the bleaching culture would be prepared to step out of their homes without any make-up, not even powder on their faces. Women who bleach their skins are very artificial by nature, and so, they complement the bleaching with heavy make-ups. They are not the kind of people who can appear natural for any reason because they have a complex (inferiority) that makes them believe they are not presentable as they are. This underscores the tendency to be trapped in the bleaching habit by those who lighten their skin.
Black is beautifulBut in the final analysis, I think the issue of putting a stop to using bleaching creams and make-ups is a matter of life and death or how much one values one’s life. I believe there is no sacrifice that is too much to make to stay alive. So, if women who have damaged their skins with bleaching creams really value their lives, they shouldn’t have much trouble adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate the counsel of that writer. Anyone who knows the importance of her life would do whatever it takes to keep it. What should be paramount in the minds of those women is not how to appear in public without make-ups but how to salvage their damaged skins to avoid the deadly consequences listed above.
Black is beautiful and we should be proud of our colour. It is a very wrong notion to say that light-skinned people are more beautiful than their dark counterparts. That idea is just an impression, which only affects you when you believe it. If you don’t believe that light skins make people more beautiful, then your dark skin will not be a shame to you. You will be contented with being black and even proud of it. It is when you believe the erroneous notion that you begin to have the urge to do something to change your colour.
It is worthy of note here that there are still women one could refer to as black beauties. They are black and beautiful, and they do not see any need to bleach their skin because they know that they are pretty enough as women. As a matter of fact, a woman’s beauty is best appreciated when she is dark-skinned. Because it would be very clear that her beauty is natural and not artificial, for many light-skinned women we see around have actually tampered with their skin colour. Only if their knees, elbows and knuckles are black can you tell that they were naturally black. Those are parts of the body that are obviously too hard for the bleaching creams to handle. But for those who bleach their skin in a more sophisticated manner involving bleaching machines, you can hardly tell the difference between their bleached skin and a naturally light skin.
Avoid those dangerous creams To the ladies who have not trod that path of dishonour, I urge you not to jump on the bandwagon. Do not bleach your skin for any reason. God has a purpose for creating you black. And you have no right whatsoever to question His judgement. Bleaching is a deadly misadventure that must be avoided by all who desire to live long and healthy. And for those who think they have perfected the art of bleaching, what you call lightening creams are actually agents of death. They kill you gradually as you rub them daily on your skins! Artificially lightened skins result in life-threatening medical conditions, unlike naturally light ones. What you are beckoning at by engaging in that despicable act of bleaching is in fact death and not what you really desire. Accept your colour and do what that well-meaning organisation says in that article: STOP USING THOSE CREAMS NOW! The medical conditions caused by the bleaching creams are critical enough to keep anyone who values life away from them. You must act now before those creams push you into the (early) grave they’ve been digging for you since you began to use them. A word, they say, is sufficient for the wise.
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