Bleaching and its effects among Ghanaians

A GNA feature by Stephanie Quayson

Accra, Feb 02, GNA - A fast growing practice that seems to have taken roots among Ghanaians, especially women, is the supposed beauty enhancement through bleaching.

Though women are most guilty, men cannot be left out of the picture as some of them also bleach.

Bleaching involves the removal of the outer layer of the skin and exposes the second layer. The skin thus appears softer, smoother and fairer. People who wish they were fair unwittingly bleach. Normal skin pomade mixed with cream containing hydroquinones and corteroid steroids serve as the bleaching lotions. This is normally applied twice in a day, in the morning and just before bedtime. Bleaching has caught on fast with us Ghanaians. The reason for this sudden upsurge in bleaching cannot be grasped outright. People from all walks of life and social classes are involved - from high class through to low class and from the educated through to the completely illiterate.

It certainly is mind-boggling to find the educated also bleaching, the dangers notwithstanding.

Sampling comments from some ladies, who had bleached, showed that they did so in a bid to look more attractive.

But the question that arises is whether bleaching is worth it. Some persons are convinced that it certainly is worth it, as most men prefer light-skinned ladies. They further argue, "bleaching is in the same vein as using make-up".

Some, however, are of the conviction that no matter how beautiful one may look in the early years of bleaching, their so-called beauty is bound to deteriorate faster in the years to follow.

The saddest aspect is that bleaching is not only expensive but very irreversible as well. One cannot bring back the skin that is no longer there. So when the person who bleaches finally comes to his/her senses the harm must have already been done and the hands of the clock cannot be turned back.

The consequences of bleaching include dermatological abnormalities like premature wrinkling of the skin, unsightly skin rashes and peeling off of the skin.

Doctors point out that as the outer layer of the skin is gradually removed by the use of bleaching creams, the body is left at the mercy of harmful ultra-violet rays.

Bleaching over a long period of time causes the skin to discolour, looking black. In some cases the colour is green. It hinders scar formation and thus surgical operations performed on persons with bleached skins become life threatening. Wounds refuse to heal and leave the patient susceptible to infection.

These dangers are hardly being paid attention to as even younger ones have taken to lightening their skin.

The world certainly is a funny place. While whites wish to look less fair skinned by tanning, blacks also wish to look fairer and resort to bleaching.