If you could, would you change the colour of your skin?
The thought of altering your skin colour might seem alien, even a little absurd – but for millions of people, skin lightening creams are just another part of their daily skincare routines.
Billions is spent advertising these creams to women, girls and, increasingly, men across the world. For years, ads for creams like Fair & Lovely and Ponds Whitening Cream have explicitly linked whiter skin to beauty, romance, and even career success.
There are two types of whitening creams – those that ‘lighten’, and those that ‘bleach’. Bleaching creams contain harsh chemicals that inhibit the production of melanin, and quite rapidly make the skin whiter. Lightening creams, however, don’t necessarily contain these chemicals, but will promise to whiten the skin with long-term use.
At best, these products are an ineffective waste of money that perpetuates entrenched racist, casteist and colourist views. At worst, they can leave users with lasting, sometimes irreparable damage to… Read the full story
from Metro http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/31/inside-the-dark-world-of-skin-whitening-7160215/
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