By Sahar Baraki
In western society, many strive for the perfect tan by using tanning products and avoiding sunscreen. However, in countries such as China, India and Nigeria, the aim is to have the fairest skin colour possible.
This disdain stems from the long association between poverty and working outside, whereas pale skin is associated with wealth and comfort. To avoid this, many subject their skin to bleaching treatments, which often contain dangerous chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone and corticosteroids. With regular use, these are poisonous and skin damaging and are linked with liver and kidney malfunctions and cancers.
Due to these effects, many products have been made illegal; However this only exacerbated the growth of the unregulated black market, with the current industry making around £3.4 billion (in 2017) and is expected to rise to £7.1 billion by 2027. Although some awareness was stirred, there has been very minimal change. The only widely-recognised adaptation has been the name-change of the world wide-skin cream “fair and lovely” to “glow and lovely”.
For the safety of people throughout the world, more awareness needs to be given about the dangers of skin bleaching. Actions need to be taken to show appreciation for all skin tones.
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