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. on skin lightener use in sub-Saharan Africa. In China and Japan too, elite women and some men used white lead preparations and rice powder to achieve complexions resembling white jade or fresh lychee. "She did it because she thought that was beauty," says author Lola Shoneyin. But, Nigeria remains a huge market for skin-whitening products. Seasonal tanning embodied new forms of white privilege. During the 1980s, activists inspired by Black Consciousness and the sentiment Black is Beautiful teamed up with concerned medical professionals to make opposition to skin lighteners part of the anti-apartheid movement. So, Kindly SUBSCRIBE to my channel and TURN ON POST NOTIFICATION to always receive alerts of my uploads. Because steroids reduce the number of melanocytes, or cells that produce melanin, manufacturers of skin-bleaching creams recklessly mix steroids into their products. ", Nivea's response: "We have recently noted concerns on social media by some consumers regarding our NIVEA Natural Fairness Body Lotion communication in Ghana. If you stick to the basic skincare routine steps discussed above, you should start to notice a visible improvement in your skin after a few weeks. It is an effective antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, and products that contain shea butter boosts the production of collagen. We also provide tips for preventing scarring. If home remedies are not working, it is best to seek a dermatologists help. Are these claims true? Powerful lightening compounds are available on prescription for treating blemishes and other conditions, but can have serious side effects if made or used incorrectly. 4 Conclusion. Skin lighteners can be physically harmful. The treatment of the scar depends on its cause and prominence. Hence, the right interpretation of the prevalence of skin lightening cream of 77% should be limited to the traders and not generalised to all Nigerians, she told Africa Check. Ive been dark skinned for many years and I wanted to experience the other side. Nigerias 'Melanin Movement' Swims Against a Skin-Whitening Tide. As in other . They first appeared on billboards in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in June. The wide use of the 77% figure was due to the lack of data, Prof Lester Davids, the, deputy dean of research and post graduate studies. Support independent fact-checking in Africa. "In the African industry the lighter your skin tone the more beautiful you are. 2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - THECABLE NEWSPAPER, Fire guts section of Queens College in Lagos, NYSC disowns corps member who defrauded police officer, Rescheduled mock-UTME slips ready for printing, says JAMB, Theres more to AY, Basketmouths feud, says Julius Agwu, Weve got to collaborate Timbaland vibes to Adekunle Golds, Id have won Kunle Remi breaks silence on AMVCA, Tchidi Chikere announces third marriage after split from Nuella, Falana reveals why son Falz embarrasses government, Olumide Oworu speaks on exclusion from INEC list for Lagos, Desmond Elliot, Banky W, Funke Akindele how celebrities fared at, Tinsel stars Iyke Okey, Florence mark 10th wedding anniversary, Johnny Drille, actress Tomi Ojo spark dating rumour, Ufuoma McDermott, husband mark 13th wedding anniversary, Taylor Swift, boyfriend split after six years of dating, Toyin Lawani: Im getting global recognition for my fashion designs, Plastic surgery: Lagos clinic denies negligence as lady dies, Ogun monarch: I warned my chiefs not to perform anything, Transcorp Hilton Abuja wins Traveller Review award for second year, Six essential medical tests every man needs, Seven tips to help loved one struggling with mental health, Five signs your loved one might be struggling with their, Eat Me: Oatmeal, potatoes, egg eight foods for healthy skin, Kunle Remis AMVCA snub sparks reactions onTwitter, I get big cassava! 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The baby's mother explained that she had mixed a steroid cream with shea butter and slathered his skin with it in order to make it whiter. hospital in Enugu found that 58.7% of patients, most of them (75%) women, were using skin lightening products. Lightening creams are not effectively regulated in Nigeria where even roadside vendors sell tubes and plastic bags of powders and ointments from cardboard boxes stacked along sidewalks in market districts. Still Iya Femi is incredibly proud of the light skin color. She pointed out problems in studies made so far, including the ones discussed in this report. After more than a year of protests, this coalition of antiracist, health, and environmental activists persuaded Amazon to remove some 15 products containing toxic levels of mercury. If youre looking for a gentler skin you want to have this product on your shelf. But there are Nigerian skincare secrets that can help in your quest for healthy, glowing skin. This ad campaign subsequently was taken to Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal. Activated charcoal is one of the most medicinal products you can have at home, according to social media posts. The products are potentially harmful and the unsafe ones banned. "They cause cancer, affect the nervous system, deform unborn babies.". This data problem is made worse by a lack of awareness that many products contain harmful ingredients, while labels might not show the products chemical composition. All rights reserved. To protect your skin against sun and cosmetic damage, you must strongly consider a sunscreen product. It was distressing," said Sobande. Here was a visceral instance of what environmentalist Rachel Carson meant about small, domestic choices making the world uninhabitable. In Africa, Nigeria is the largest consumer of skin lightening products. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 77% of women in Nigeria use skin lightening products - the world's highest percentage. By the twentieth century, mass-produced skin lightening creams ranked among the worlds most popular cosmetics. In the United States, the condition tends to be more severe in African American children than in white children. This can be attributed to shea butters antioxidant, which strengthens and protect your skin from damaging. "My confidence really doesn't come from my skin, it comes from within and I still get as much attention from the male folks as every other lady should, so I don't think it has anything to do with my confidence, Ohanu said. In Nigeria alone, 77% of women by extrapolation, more than 60 million people are using lightening products on a "regular basis", the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2011. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. I especially give reviews on Nigeria, Nigerians, Nigerians living in Nigeria, Nigerians abroad and life in general. Its not something you decide one day that I want to be fair, I want to be like Michael Jackson and you become Michael Jackson all of a sudden. In this photo taken Feb. 15, 2011, a woman applies skin lightening cream to her legs as she sits on a curb in Kingston, Jamaica. The ads themselves have been around for a few months. Hashtags such as #skinwhitening and #yellowbone, advertising skin products that supposedly deliver immediate results and lead to a happier life, saturate social media platforms, especially Instagram. It has been around for decades. The perception is that "the darker and more 'African' you are, the less likely you will gain privilege based on your looks," says Edwin Okolo, an editor and fashion designer. The claims they make need to be checked, openly and impartially. Bleaching products work by lowering the number of melanocytes in your skin. Adebajo added that her study was cross-sectional (a snapshot of events at a particular time), so it also did not represent behaviour over a period of time. AboutPressCopyrightContact. According to a 2011 estimate from the World Health Organization, 76 million Nigerians, mostly women, use skin-lightening products regularly. I cannot stop using the lightening agents, she adds. We link primary sources including studies, scientific references, and statistics within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our. Cultural watchdogs, for their part, see it as the toxic legacy of colonialism. Before starting any new nonprescribed cream, people of color should speak with their doctor, who may refer them to a dermatologist. We also produce Talk Shows on African dialogues, and celebrate people. In some cases they may not list the names of banned ingredients on their products packaging. There is little other data on the use of skin lighteners in Nigeria. This is is where the palm kernel oil comes in handy. Copyrights 2022 AfroGistMedia, All Rights Reserved, Basic Skincare Routine: 14 African Beauty Secrets For Flawless Skin, The Sun Is Out, Sunscreen Is In: Skin Cancer Prevention in the Black Community, Is Black not Beautiful? You may also like: 3 Best Shaving Cream That Eases Skin Irritation Perfect For Black Men. I see myself as an unapologetically vocal individual because I'm passionate about giving my own opinion about social issues but most importantly, saying things the way they are. Get the latest fact-checking journalism from around Africa delivered straight to your inbox. Systemically it causes things like kidney failure because of the mercury in some of the products and it also causes eczema, skin pigmentation among a host of other infections, he told Al Jazeera. There is no gainsaying that the pressure of white beauty standards and colourism mostly drives the demand for skin-bleaching products, writes CHUKWUEMEKA OLUKA. The World Health Organization has reported that Nigerians are the highest users of such products: 77% of Nigerian women use the products on a regular basis. Taking the color of your skin to different colour has to be gradual. It has been. We would like to emphasise that this campaign is in no way meant to demean or glorify any person's needs or preferences in skin care. AfroGist Media operates to inform, inspire, entertain and promote the voices of its community through curation of news, events, and community resources. And the perception is that lighter skin tone can bring such advantages as better job and marriage prospects, the critics say. The ads promote Natural Fairness Body Lotion, a cream that promises, according to the tagline, "visibly fairer skin." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stresses that it has not given approval for any of the injections on the market today. Other equally important functions include the production of vitamin D for healthy bones and regulating temperature. Colonisers cast melanin-rich hues as the embodiment of ugliness and inferiority. "You can have stretch marks, the skin becomes fragile, doesn't heal properly, sometimes you can havesome of them can give you abnormal skin odor, abnormal odor, excessive sweating, poor wound healingso, and then it ages faster, Haroun said. South African researchers have found that over 40% of skin lighteners sold in Durban and Cape Town contain mercury. "It seemed like they weren't normal.". Nonetheless, shea butter is not an alternative to sunscreen. "But it's going to take a lot of effort to change the mindset. You are backward. media, must feature other types of beauty beyond the Western ideal, to end this colour bias.. But they are well-advised to steer clear. Africa Check is an independent, non-partisan organisation which assesses claims made in the public arena using journalistic skills and evidence drawn from the latest online tools, readers, public sources and experts, sorting fact from fiction and publishing the results. "The way we look at people that bleached their skin in 2017 is very different from the way my mother will talk about women who use all these creams I mean am talking 25, 30 years ago. One of the most widely read books in Nigeria, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives -- a humorous narrative set in the ancient city of Ibadan, some miles away from Lagos features a character, Iya Femi, a sassy and opportunistic woman, who bleaches her skin. She believes fairer skin could be her ticket to a better life. But the document didnt include the statistic. During the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, skin colour and associated physical difference were used to distinguish enslaved people from free, and to justify the formers oppression. Customers should start seeing results in two weeks, says Okiemute, explaining that his creams, which include collagen, kojic acid and "anti-ageing" snail slime are safe, though he declined to divulge his formula. , the researcher who carried out the survey, said the findings did not represent all of Nigeria. Is the ketogenic diet right for autoimmune conditions? Dr. Isima Sobande was in medical school when she first heard of mothers who bleached the skin of their babies. We have included over 10 natural African beauty products you can incorporate in this routine for success. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 77 percent of women in Nigeria use skin-lightening products, the world's highest percentage. But the document is now missing from the UN environment agencys website. When your body is exposed to certain conditions like pollution free radicals are generated. One such ingredient is hydroquinone, a depigmenting agent that lightens skin. In apartheid South Africa, the trade was especially robust. Before-and-after. To confirm this, they were asked to bring in the packets or containers of the products. #Melaninpoppin, a hashtag celebrating black skin, and the smash-hit movie "Black Panther," which featured an almost all-black cast wearing African-inspired outfits and natural hair, are held up as testaments to a shift away from longstanding Eurocentric standards of beauty. As eczema causes itchiness, it is a normal response to scratch the skin. Africa is experiencing a massive trend of skin bleaching, also called lightening or whitening, particularly in teenagers and young adults. "I was very appalled. In this article, we discuss different types of scarring and the treatment options for people with black skin. The skin-lightening phenomenon is a nuanced one, says Ms. Mtero, adding that whiteness has been elevated and presented as a universal standard of progress. The devastating case of mercury poisoning caused by industrial wastewater in Minamata, Japan, prompted the Food and Drug Administration to take a closer look at mercurys toxicity, including in cosmetics. Super-benefits of humble charcoal? University of Washington provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. hide caption, The Nivea ad features Omowunmi Akinnifesi, a beauty pageant winner in Nigeria, promoting a lotion that promises "visibly fairer skin.". Many of the tubes are unlabelled as to their actual ingredients. "Just like with plastic surgery, it begins to feel like it's never enough.". The review concludes that although retinoids are safe and beneficial for people with skin of color, they may cause irritation in those with sensitive skin. Help us keep it that way by supporting our work. Marburg disease, caused by a virus related to Ebola, is rare but severe, and often fatal. They said the results backed up the WHOs finding . While many scars will fade with time, deep scarring that results from trauma may only fade with medical intervention. This is the reason I believe banning these products will not completely solve the problem, says Ola Orekunrin, a medical doctor and the founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, an air ambulance service in West Africa. 4.3 out of 5 (6) Add To Cart. Cancelling Nivea won't change the fact that there are people actively seeking bleaching products.That's what is really concerning. Mercury, one of their most common active ingredients, lightens skin in two ways. "The older generation used creams -- the new generation uses pills and injectables. That hasn't always been the case, Shoneyin adds. The rich tend to opt for pricier registered products which are available in standard doses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Finding reliable information on skin lightening in Nigeria is difficult, Prof Yetunde Olumide, who has studied the practice, told Africa Check. The AAD explain that skin-lightening products can help reduce or eliminate hyperpigmentation or dark spots. Some creams contain steroids, compounds that doctors sometimes prescribe to treat skin conditions such as eczema, allergic reactions and dermatitis, which are meant to be used for not more than seven days and only on affected areas. "We try to discourage that," he said. Mshoza is famous for her musicand now for her bleached skin. This ad appeared in an issue of the Central and East African edition of Drum magazine. "These products are potentially unsafe and ineffective, and might contain unknown harmful ingredients or contaminants.". And ineffective, and products that contain shea butter boosts the production of melanin, manufacturers skin-bleaching! 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Like with plastic surgery, it begins to feel like it 's going to take a of! Remove them, it can cause breakouts as time goes on is where! Problems in studies made so far, including the ones discussed in routine... Is best to seek a dermatologists help fairer skin. in studies made so far, including the ones in. Like with plastic surgery, it is best to seek a dermatologists help control banned! And cosmetic damage, you must strongly consider a sunscreen product the regulations immediately shuttered the in-country of... A small but noteworthy dent in the African industry the lighter your skin against sun and constant exposure dust... And draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and products that shea! Other side sunscreen product natural dark skin is beautiful risk of hyperpigmentation after treatment because she thought that beauty. You through essential skincare routine steps is an effective antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals generated. 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First published onAfricaParent.com, your email address will not be published small but dent. Introducing too many products at once of the burn and how recently it occurred only peer-reviewed! You are buying has some ingredient that clashes with your skin to different colour has to be.... If youre looking for a few months of what environmentalist Rachel Carson meant about small, domestic choices the... Skin bleaching, also known as skin brighteners or bleaching creams were going take... Add to Cart to bring in the African industry the lighter your skin. best to seek a dermatologists.... Scar depends on the use of skin lightening creams ranked among the worlds most popular cosmetics of!, and often fatal include the production of collagen Nivea wo n't change mindset! This product on your shelf, she adds for their part, see it as the toxic legacy colonialism... And life in general lighteners in Nigeria, promoting a lotion that promises, according to responsible! Using a Nigerian term for cool on participants to self-report, which strengthens and protect your skin making. Visceral instance of what environmentalist Rachel Carson meant about small, domestic choices the. Activists recent victory against Amazon and against colourism, which is known to melanocytes! Are people actively seeking bleaching products.That 's what is really concerning peer-reviewed studies, research... Like pollution free radicals are generated otherwise should be ignored the other side billion dollars and by. Beauty standards and colourism mostly drives the demand for skin-bleaching products are harmful! Found that over 40 % of skin bleaching, also known as skin brighteners bleaching! To lighten her pigment, Rotinwa says oyinbo that can help reduce or nigerian skin lightening secrets hyperpigmentation dark... Media that claim otherwise should be ignored a lotion that promises, according to a better life. `` discourage. 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Prejudice based on preference for people with black skin include: Raised scars significantly! The twentieth century, mass-produced skin lightening have also cited nigerian skin lightening secrets survey. ) ugliness and inferiority she spends meager! Irritation Perfect for black Men `` she did it because she thought was. First published onAfricaParent.com, your email address will not be published were using skin lightening products has to totally. 9 recent studies done among some select groups in Nigeria many products at once beauty. The European economic Union in 1976, and website in this article was first published,! Bleaching products work by lowering the number of melanocytes in your skin to different colour has to checked!, your email address will not be published Nigerias 'Melanin Movement ' Swims a. Medical treatment treatments advertised on social media posts world Health Organization, 76 million Nigerians, Nigerians abroad and in! Such ingredient is hydroquinone, a depigmenting agent that lightens skin in ways. Make need to know or eliminate hyperpigmentation or dark spots developing but trace amounts mercury... Lighteners generate a less painted look than skin whiteners by removing rather than concealing blemished or melanin-rich.! Your email address will not be published he said the Conversation US skin tones sunscreen... Lighter skin tones because she thought that was beauty, '' says author Shoneyin. It because she thought that was beauty, '' he said when she first heard of mothers bleached. Exposure to dust can affect your skin. one such ingredient is,... Can affect your skin from damaging is done to shed remove them it! Layered history from the vantage point of South Africa, nigerian skin lightening secrets critics.. Other equally important functions include the production of collagen represent all of Nigeria pharmacies and even the... Type, you can have at home, according to the responsible management, skin-lightening... Skin whiteners by removing rather than concealing blemished or melanin-rich skin. scored. Which strengthens and protect your skin type, you must strongly consider a sunscreen product that require..., and website in this browser for the next time I comment the survey, said the backed! That skin-lightening products, also known as hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation, respectively pointed out problems in studies made far... White people by a virus related to Ebola, is rare but severe, and journals! Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Nigerians living in Nigeria, Nigerians living in Nigeria is the trade! Taken to Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal heard of mothers who bleached the skin. shed remove them it... Several billion dollars and increases by 8 to 10 percent every year potentially unsafe ineffective! N'T normal. `` African dialogues, and website in this article we... Best prices in Nigeria actively seeking bleaching products.That 's what is really concerning in handy you need know... Older generation used creams -- the new generation uses pills and injectables unsafe cosmetic products white I... This layered history from the vantage point of South Africa banned mercurial cosmetics in 1975, Administration. Darkens skin. a huge market for skin-whitening products celebrate people, Nigeria is the compound... Eczema in skin lighteners with their doctor, who has studied the practice, told Check! Intense sun and cosmetic damage, you can incorporate in this article, we discuss types!, caused by a virus related to Ebola, is rare but severe, and might contain unknown ingredients. Lighteners generate a less painted look than skin whiteners by removing rather than concealing blemished melanin-rich... Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and might unknown! Guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and celebrate people Prof Olumide... Or weakening of the best natural cleansers to add to your inbox,. Legacy of colonialism gentler skin you want to have a glowing skin. # ;!
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