WHO – 3 Out Of Every 4 Girls In Nigeria Is A Skin Bleacher, Worst In Africa!

WHO – 3 Out Of Every 4 Girls In Nigeria Is A Skin Bleacher, Worst In Africa! See Which Countries Are Next

The WHO (World Health Organization) released a report on skin bleaching that identified the percentage across the countries, and Nigeria’s results was shocking. Apparantly 77%, meaning that more than 3/4s of the women in Nigeria are skin bleaching, according to the WHO. Usually the preferred method is to use lightening lotions and soaps. Some may use stringent facial cleansers, body scrubs, and even anti-fungal creams.

The list identifies the percentage of women in various African nations that uses the skin lightening cream. See the order of the highest percentage below. (WHO Report Link)
Nigeria 77%
Togo 59%
South Africa 35%
Senegal 27%
Mali 25%

IPN News cannot confirm it’s accuracy nor it’s truth nor which part of Nigeria their research took place or whether they visited every corner of Nigeria.

It is worthy of note that Ghana was nowhere in the report considering its neighboring country Togo sees 59% of it’s women applying this poison to their bodies. It is also fairly shocking to see Ivory Coast no where on the list as many are aware this epidemic is a major issue in the country, so much so that the government banned bleaching products earlier this year.

Vera Sidika from Kenya (Popular Music video model now pushing the concept of skin bleaching.

What is responsible for Nigeria’s women obsession with skin bleaching? Some have argued that it is the media’s fixation of the idea of the light skin woman as the model of beauty that is sparking this obsession. Other have argued that it is the Nigerian men who admire light skinned women which instigates women to make themselves more attractive to their wooers by giving them exactly what they want. While the truth lies somewhere between, the trend however is worrisome.

Girls learn from a young age what they need to do to appeal to a man. When growing up they analyse their moms, aunties and family friends, and which of the lot is more successful or in the best relationship. When a bit older, they look at the girls older than them and see who is admired the most by men or complimented more around them. When in school they see who the boys chase and the so called sugar daddies come looking for to spend money on, take this and then add the psychological media influence. By the time they hit early twenties, or late teens for some, they would have made up their minds what they need to do to get a man that can give them a better life.

Surely if they were growing up and saw light skinned girls had no extra appeal to Nigerian or Togolese men, by the time they reached their teens or twenties this would not even be an issue. Maybe it is the men who are being sucked into the ‘Media’war on dark skin. Maybe the ladies are doing whatever it takes to get a decent life in male orientated societies such as Nigeria.

Today, an idiot lady is currently a pop star in Nigeria because of skin bleaching and selling skin bleaching products. She failed at her music career with horrible singing and songs, she wears the worst outfits to the red carpet moments, she sounds silly and immature on TV, LITERALLY. But yet she is a celebrity because of the controversy arising from her skin bleaching to the point she caught the attention of the Western Media.

Nigeria bloggers do not help matters either. They continue to celebrate her sillyness while true heroine like the Ghana Ama K Abebrese, a talented actress is villified for pushing the anti the bleaching campaign.

What most girls who bleach don’t understand is, They are easily identifiable by the uneven patches of darker skin fading away and the dark colour still retained by the joints, the elbows and knuckles. Those who who successfully bleach look almost ghostly, because even with the new skin tone on top, there is an underlying layer of dark skin that makes them look slightly off-colour. And to date, you will not find one before and after bleaching image on the net where the after is more beautiful than the before.

Apart from the foregoing, Skin Bleaching could be very deleterious to one’s health. Worse it could lead to Cancer according to Dr. Oz in an article he wrote in 2009 and reproduced below;

Have you seen those celebrities that have obviously lightened their skin? It’s been in the news so much lately, and the decision to lighten is very personal – it’s between you and your family.
Social issues aside, physicians get involved in skin lightening because many of the creams used are simply dangerous. Here’s why:

Brown pigment in our skin is produced by special cells that make melanin. Most of the skin lighteners block the formation of this pigment. So, they really don’t “bleach” the skin, they just stop the pigment from being produced and it eventually wears off.

The safe pigment reducers are vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B3 (niacin). Other herbs like emblica and licorice, and fruit acids like glycolic acid, also work.

Beware, however, because the most common skin lightener, hydroquinone, is not uniformly safe. It’s been banned in Europe and the FDA has proposed to ban it in the US. Hydroquinone may cause cancer and it causes rashes and can even darken the skin. And steer clear of any skin lightener that contains steroids. Although illegal without a prescription, some skin lighteners contain steroids so potent that they can suppress your immune system.

The worst of all the skin lighteners? They’re the ones that contain mercury. This is a dangerous metal that can destroy your kidneys and your nervous system. But you can easily find these rogue products, even in the US. Why would any company knowingly use dangerous ingredients like mercury? Mercury salts are much cheaper than the good vitamins and herbs that work just as well.

So now that you know all about skin lightening, how do those celebrities dramatically change the color of their skin? I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect that they either undergo laser or chemical peels, or use a drug called Benaquin® cream. This is a drug that kills the pigment producing cells and is intended as a last ditch effort to even out the splotchiness that occurs in that terribly disfiguring disease called vitiligo.

So, to lighten or not is your business. But if you do it, do it safely. And once you remove the natural protection that melanin provides, don’t forget to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen – every day of the year.

In closing, The society needs a complete attitude adjustment concerning the meaning of true beauty. The phrase “black is beautiful” needs to be revived both in speech and action. The entertainment industry has a responsibility to promote the image of dark skinned Africans as the essence of true natural beauty. The rest of us have to learn to take pride in how we are made. The truth is that no one else will do it for us. It must begin with us.

Hopefully Nigerian networks, musicians, stars, bloggers and all others with media influence, will start to acknowledge and promote the natural beauty of their nation in order to ensure the younger girls ‘AND GUYS’ in Nigeria can learn to admire women of such skin tones.

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Source: WHO Report
Slanted Text by Reported By Jennifer, Mass Comm, OFFA POLY
Featured Image: Skin Bleaching Gone Wrong, google