Harmful skin bleaching 'not going away anytime soon' - Page 2 of 3 - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

The excise duty on alcohol, cigarettes, fruit juices, soft drinks, ice cream, cosmetics, and beauty products was also increased by 10 percent./FILE

Kenya

Harmful skin bleaching ‘not going away anytime soon’

Hence, apart from hydroquinone which she says is not present in most of her products, she has no idea what other harmful components could be in the products she uses.

Top cosmetologist at Oriflame East Africa Cynthia Atieno explains that bleaching creams and lotions in totality are harmful. She explains that the mechanisms they use are harmful to the skin which could be detrimental at the end. For instance, a majority of them aim for drastic skin tone changes that work through the stripping of the skin’s pigmentation.

“Some bleaching creams also contain mercury which can lead to physiological and neurological issues after prolonged use. What’s worse, some contained unnamed chemicals which can cause a wide array of complications to the body,” she said.

“In the case of expectant mothers, chemicals used to make bleaching creams can be passed down to the baby which can cause permanent harm on the child including birth defects.”

Despite the harm, the uptake of these products is every growing. Atieno says that Oriflame frequently receives cases of people with whom bleaches have backfired on hoping they can get their former complexions back. She explains that a majority of them result to going there after getting frustrated by the creams. “By the time many of them come hoping to get their skin restored, it is too late.”

She adds that the affordability of skin bleaches versus that of skin lighteners is the leading reason why people result to bleaches. Monetary speaking, River Road lotions are much cheaper as compared to over the counter tablets which cost more than Sh25,000 for a pack of 30 tablets.

Although there is no available data on the number of people who buy the products per month, Ruth says that business is booming seeing that most of them are able to break even and reap profits.

– Why then would a person choose to put themselves at risk? –

“A majority of people who bleach their skin are people who are not okay with who they are, they lack personal identity,” Psychologist Steve Muchiri from Daystar University explains.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Muchiri adds that for people who bleach their skin, it is mostly a deep rooted desire to appear more appealing than they think they really are. He says that women, especially those who believe the stereotype that men are more attracted to light skinned women are more prone of skin bleaching in a bid attract the opposite sex.

“Parents are also to blame in instances where young people bleach their skin hoping to achieve a ‘better appearance’ than the way they look. If a parent did not play an active role in the person’s life when they were creating their identity and did not validate their looks, then that could be the root problem.”

Peer pressure and societal norms also come into play. The psychologist gives the instance of 21st Century celebrities who openly undergo procedures to lighten their skin tones, promoting the notion of lighter complexion supremacy while at it.

Pages: 1 2 3

Advertisement

More on Capital Business