WUNRN
Uganda - Consumers of
bleaching cosmetics claim that they want to enhance their beauty. One woman who
declined to be named, explains, “One has to look good, by having fair, lighter
skin.”
by Halima Abdallah Kisule
-
Scores of Ugandans continue to bleach their skin despite a government ban on
the sale of several lotions, creams, gels and soaps which are largely used to
whiten, even and tone the skin.
Due to
ineffective enforcement of the ban, these dangerous cosmetics are easily
accessible anywhere in
Medically, skin whitening (or bleaching) products are used for treating pigmentation disorders like freckles, pregnancy marks, blotchy uneven skin tone, patches of brown to gray skin and age spots. Skin pigmentation occurs because the body either produces too much or too little melanin, the pigment responsible for creating the color of our eyes, skin and hair. It also provides crucial protection against the sun’s rays by absorbing ultra-violet light. Doctors say that those with darker skin are less susceptible to sunburn and the overall effects of sun damage.
According to dermatologists, skin bleaching can be achieved
through a combination of treatments that reduce or block some amount of the
body’s melanin production. Usually in the form of topical lotions, gels, pills
and creams, these products contain melanin-inhibiting ingredients along with
sunscreen. These treatments also contain amounts of hydroquinone, or mercury.
However, other cosmetics companies use natural ingredients to make
melanin-inhibiting products. Extracted from plant leaves like the berry family,
shrubs and pears, their naturally occurring arbutin leads to bleaching.
•
A young woman who has been bleaching, gets her hair plaited - her
face and chest are a different color than her arms, hands and legs. Photograph
courtesy of Halimah Abdallah Kisule. •
In
Consumers of bleaching cosmetics claim that they want to enhance their beauty. One woman who declined to be named, explains, “One has to look good, by having fair, lighter skin.”
Unfortunately, her skin is now multi-colored from bleaching. She has red skin on her face, yellow on her arms and dark skin on her back. The skin on her knees, toes and finger joints failed to lighten and remain black.
For this woman, the condition of her skin has only brought her shame; she now
tries to cover most parts of her body in an attempt to conceal the damage done
by the products she thought would enhance her beauty.
Those in the medical profession explain that this condition occurs from allergic dermatitis or irritant dermatitis (abnormal, extensive and often local inflammation of the skin), both of which are common among people who have not previously used the bleaching cosmetics.
“I have cases where people get severe skin burns. It happens when
people change to something new which causes allergic dermatitis and irritant
dermatitis,” says Dr Misaki Wayengera of
He explains that the skin of the people using these bleaching products get inflamed, turns red, enlarges and begins to loose function as the cells fail to produce melanin.
Wayengera says that bleaching can be achieved medically using low dosage hydroquinone, recommended at 2%. He advises that it should be used only in the areas of the skin that need to be lightened. He also advised consumers to always read the contents of cosmetics because those that bleach cause health problems like skin cancer, leukemia, thyroid disorders and delay or prevent the ability to diagnose leprosy. Mercury is the most toxic of these ingredients and leads to liver problems.
Though the East African Custom Management Act of 2006 banned the
import of all soaps containing mercury, products like Mekako soaps are readily
available in the country having been smuggled in before being re-exported to
neighboring
•
The young woman's hands show how the bleaching does not lighten
skin evenly. Photograph courtesy of Halimah Abdallah Kisule. •
“They are smuggled in jerricans disguised as water while others come in through ordinary containers but are declared as cosmetics, when [in reality] they are drugs that fall under the NDA mandate,” says Gyavira Musoke, Head of Imports Inspection at Uganda’s National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).
UNBS says that
Ready markets for these highly valued cosmetics suggest that smuggling won’t stop any time soon, but demand alone does not explain why one would continue to use these dangerous products.
“Such a person lacks self-esteem, has low self-efficacy and a
perception that she or he looks ugly,” says Mr Robert Wandera, Coordinator of
the Psychology Department at
Wandera’s colleague, Mr Calistas, says that it is very dangerous to have low self-esteem because severe cases can lead to suicide.
He urges, “Do something positive to counter [your low self-esteem]. Take advantage of the good parts of your body or talents.”
Prolonged use of bleaching cosmetics can indeed be disastrous both
psychologically and physically. One lady who I encountered on the street
declined to be named nor talk about her skin. Her dry, pale face showed no
happiness. She had wrinkles too - not from old age, but from the effects of
starting and then stopping the use of these cosmetics. I could easily read the
disappointment in her face when I asked her to talk about her skin. Her
response is a clear testimony to the negative effects of bleaching cosmetics
and hint at the lengths some will go to for beauty. Her unhappiness is the
other side of beauty that we rarely see, but one that can easily be avoided.
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