Beauty without bleaching, by Evelyn Igwe

But permit me to say that it is a wrong idea about beauty. I’m convinced that God has introduced the notion of beauty. When you see beauty, you see good health. Those who are healthy tends to be more beautiful. Beauty is in who you are not what you rub on your body or eat, or even wear on your body.

We are all beautiful in our God given way. This is with our skin type as well as the skin colour. When you look up the word beauty in  an encyclopedia, you get the impression that our ancestors have created it. Some go as far as saying that it is an artificial work such as clothes or jewelry, which may represent a higher degree of beauty than that which is found in nature.

But permit me to say that it is a wrong idea about beauty. I’m convinced that God has introduced the notion of beauty. When you see beauty, you see good health. Those who are healthy tends to be more beautiful. Beauty is in who you are not what you rub on your body or eat, or even wear on your body.

Why bleach?

Black skin renews itself quickly, rapidly producing new skin cells. This ability for regeneration keeps our skins looking younger for longer. Wherever black skin is damaged or traumatized, it produces an excess of melanin in the area. This hyper pigmentation can result in a humble spot or cut, producing a dark patches when it is healed. Skin tone removes dark patches caused by injury.

However, in some sections of the society, particularly in African communities, skin bleaches are used to lighten the skin in a misguided belief that a lighter complexion is better than the dark complexion.

The production of the most commonly used bleaching agent, hydroquinone (chemical formula C6H602), came about by accident, after black workers in a rubber plant found that when a certain chemical came in contact with their skin, it caused light patches on skin.

According to a medical personnel in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Bunmi George, the skin covers 70 per cent of the body weight. It comprises of two layers: Epidermis and Dermies. The Epidermis represents the outer layer while the Dermies represents the inner layer of the skin.

In addition, most of these bleaching creams reduce and destroy the pigmentation, which is the skin colour. They also increase the risk of child bearing, especially in relation to cancer.

When there is a contact between the skin and the bleaching cream, the result is known as the CONTACT DIMERTITISE. It is an inflammatory process in the skin caused by exogenous process agent that directly or in directly injures the skin, resulting in irritation. It could be acute or chronic dry skin. It thickens the skin. It can also result in the skin being bruised easily. They can be allergic to sunburn.

See yourself just as God made you. He made us all unique. If you happen to be a black skinned person, please remain like that. Don’t try to change yourself. And if you are a light skinned person, don’t try be a dark person or more lighter than you ought to be. You are still beautiful the way you are if you believe it. There are other better body creams that you can use to enhance your skin tone than bleaching your skin. It is very harmful on your skin. You look more original with your natural colour than the artificial colour.