Skin bleaching: The risks behind the beauty craze

Soo South Africa here lives leoan a 35-year-old single mother who has been using skin bleaching creams for over 15 years I couldn't stop at all I couldn't stop at all I was in hunger for that beauty I even uh mixed it with my body lotion so that I can I could be light the whole body not even not the face only in her 20s leuan became jealous when her friend gradually became lighter in complexion she started using the same bleaching products switching to different brands over the years depending on what her friends were using first I I was very beautiful light like like a a white woman but after the after effects that's when they started I was becoming red and itchy especially when I went outside to the sun I would my skin would would went completely wrong leoan was not aware of the long-term price she paid but how could she know skin bleaching products are readily available in supermarkets salons and Corner shops in South Africa the purchase not accompanied by any medical guidance leoan takes us to her local supermarket to show us how easy it is to buy these creams so what's the difference this one is for Black sport so if you got like T Sports taking sport I want one that is going to lighten my skin okay this one is Black sport corrector it's for sport of the face other normally I don't know they buy this one I don't know I'm against this one bu it's not difficult to buy them because they they are very cheap some of them are cheap than from getting one from the doctor and then you can even get them from the street vendors 40% Africans bleach their skins that's according to the World Health Organization and more research shows that most are unaware of the potential harm and do not consult doctors twin doctors canile and zanda debella Advocate actively against the use of skin bleaching products they are shocked to find them easily available to shop online products containing Mercury steroids and hydro on ingredients with devastating consequences this is absolutely shocking for me this is actually the first time I've seen a 4% hydrocone on the market on the market is freely available like this they even sell in combos to make it easier for you in okay that product there hq2 it's abbreviated as HQ now you may think 2% is it's a low amount right but any hydroquin known has been banned out of all products all cosmetic products in South Africa so whether it's 1% 2% it does not matter it cannot be contained in any cosmetic um product it's banned it's literally banned skin bleaching products are banned in South Africa in Africa in so many places hydron and illegal steroids ban but people are still selling those exact products on the internet this patient over here is a patient who got severe steroid acne on the chest area so this is classic of it um it happens on the chest and on the back um the upper back this patient over here is a patient who you can tell was using hydroquinone for a very very long time how do we know that they starting to have the complications of the osis when patients stop using skin bleaching creams they usually become darker so they bleach more and struggle to stop it's a back and forth back and forth anyone who bleaches their skin will have hyperpigmentation when they stop bleaching their skin so now they have to go through the whole bleaching thing again in order to try and even out their skin tone and they don't have the patience for that stuff to happen you know long term they want it to happen now so they keep going back that's why they can't stop back in Soo leoan tries to restore her skin with natural oils is there a hope that her skin will heal she used ingredients usually prescribed for a maximum of 3 months for 15 years if you stop using them you look like a crane you look more older because you have stopped look using them they're not good at all people are getting hurt it's not okay the government should do something about it they are illegal so they must be stopped today more young African women and men than ever are bleaching their skin it seems like years of Public Health campaign have evaporated can we change the script disregarding the legal B on the creams scores of South African influencers and celebrities like kanyi B are promoting and selling their creams online colorism a specific form of racism stems from stereotypes regarding dark skin it is normalized through images we see in the media successful black artists with light complexions like Beyonce Alicia ke and Maria Curry and the under representation of darker tones yeah I think it's simple is lighter okay they have the same amount of Grammys I could say but she's lighter so obviously you you look at that on a higher note you know you put it on a pedestal we visit the rising hip hop Duo the travel twins in their hometown of gery stone puppy and major have recently signed with local industry Legend Questa are they the next best thing in Hip Hop in South Africa they are at the Breaking Point with their careers and there is certainly some pressure on the twins to always be at the top of their game hoping that skin bleaching creams will come to their aid they started using skin bleaching creams a few months ago as a way to enhance their skin tone to brighten up for the camera they buy a container of cream for about €7 e lasting them about 2 weeks luckily they don't show any signs of damage just yet but what are the long-term effects of their decision to become lighter what do doctors deell have to say but it's so amazing how they use a Caucasian woman it's always a Caucasian lady yeah I the go yeah I know we see here also 2% hydroquinon Dr canile does not approve it's a condition called osis okay it literally means that you get stubborn pigment right here on the cheeks on the forehead area we can't get rid of that pigment once it's there it's there it's there okay um we can't lighten it we can only prevent it from becoming darker and spreading by using sunscreen but we can't treat ochronosis those are the dangers of hydroquinone when you use it for too long were you guys getting redness did you ever have redness anywhere the The Brew thearon yeah it was now yeah guys stop that was the weirdest thing that was the weirdest thing remember I did say he's starting to burn yeah that's the first sign of of you starting to get the osis the blackney yeah and just remember also the bleaching products also please just tell this friend of yours that it's not just about you know becoming dark all these other things skin cancer not to use of those products especially with him cuz he's been using it for a very long time skin cancers are very real melanomas I'm going to discard this thing yeah just you guys are still so young like you really don't those things I mean and why did you guys um do you think being lighter in complexion actually helps you be more successful in the music industry or just in general I feel of course for for women it's more because but even for men as well you know even for men as well cuz it's but who though he Afric cuz people say that one tall dog handsome got too many movies a fox movies the thing is you only hear like female artists singing about like I want a you know speak about you know so these are the things that we need to speak more about the fact that you know you don't need to be light to get a partner to get aead and stuff like that it doesn't change anything just exactly yeah yeah we call that body dysmorphia but that's a conversation for a different day you know I feel like the biggest thing is just the perspective of what race is what color is the person is a person Different Strokes with different folks but everybody is beautiful that's that's the thing cre seeing people as art you you love it after the visit major and puppy stopped using the product they plan to spread the message of being proud of your natural skin tone in the lyrics of their music

Channel: DW The 77 Percent

Views: 788,039

Keywords: DW, DW Africa, Africa, skinbleaching, southafrica, cosmeticsindustry, africa

Id: DzSW2_BUOEE

Length: 9min 35sec (575 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 05 2024