In Senegal, Skin-Lightening Remains Popular Despite Health Risks
March 25, 2013
The World Health Organization says that a quarter of Senegalese women use skin-lightening products regularly. The products, even those claiming to have so-called "natural" components, can contain mercury, hydroquinone or caustic agents like sodium hydroxide. These are dangerous ingredients that can cause cancer and are potentially disfiguring. Some women in capital city Dakar say the risks are simply the price of beauty.
A typical beauty supply shop in Dakar, complete with a selection of skin-lightening creams and soaps.
"This lotion, it is carrot-based. It doesn't have hydroquinone. It will give you an amazing color," said shop clerk Adama Diagne. She said she uses a similar cream, and she tells clients to avoid the stronger ones that promise fast, dramatic results.
"It's a personal choice. No one pressures me. Some women want to be black every day, but I prefer to be a shade of brown. It's better for me. I like it," she said.
Women in Senegal say they lighten their skin for the same reasons women the world over say they tweeze, squeeze or alter their bodies - in sometimes dangerous ways - to achieve a certain standard of beauty... to catch a husband... to stand out in the crowd.. .to smooth out imperfections... to get ready for a special event.
Soap seller El Hadji Traore mixes together skin-lightening soaps that come from Ivory Coast, Mali and Ghana.
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