Skin bleaching vs tans
While so many white western women are desperate for that St Tropez tan, black and Asian women often aspire to be lighter skinned.
Skin bleaching
Light skin is so desirable in places like India and Jamaica that the cosmetics industries are continually pitching skin-lightening products to women.
- In certain areas in the Arab world, the lighter you are the more beautiful you are considered. In some countries the implications of this hierarchy go so far as to affect one's social class and job opportunities. In other places, it leads to surgery to 'correct' certain characteristics which stray from the European-based ideal of a small, straight nose, straight soft hair, big eyes (preferably blue) and fair-skin.
- Many South Asian women grew up constantly being told to avoid sunlight for the fear of growing darker. Growing darker, of course, meant becoming less attractive.
- All of the actors in popular Indian movies and magazines are light skinned, interesting since most Indian women are darker than those in the movies.
- In Jamaica a brown (Janet Jackson) complexion is often considered more attractive than a black (Lauren Hill) one.
- In 1999 it was discovered that bleaching creams had illegally returned to South Africa more than a decade after they were banned for having disfigured thousands of black women.
How: The most popular bleaching creams contain 4% hydroquinone, a severely toxic and very powerful chemical also used in photo-processing and rubber production, that can destroy the outer layer of the skin. However, cosmetic creams or treatments containg hydroquinone have been completely banned in the UK since 2001 and are illegal to supply, offer to supply or posess to supply. Hair dyes are permitted to contain a level of hydroquione of 0.3%.
Other dangerous ingredients include Kojic acid (also used to preserve pink and red colours in seafood, has been linked to systemic toxicity and liver cancer); alpha hydroxy acid (also used in chemical skin peels, causes increased sensitivity to the sun and UV light); and sodium hydroxide (also used in the manufacture of pulp, paper textiles and detergents, can cause burns, scarring and blindness).
Danger zone: Hydroquinone is only supposed to be used to fade freckles or scars as prolonged use can burn and permanently damage the skin.
Sun bathing
In the UK this year, experts predict that 40,000 people will get skin cancer. As soon as the sun comes out, us Brits seem to like nothing better than baring our all for a little colour. Although there has been a recent move to fake it, a much safer option; there are still hoards of us basking in the rays, be it the sun or the sun bed for that wholesome orange glow.
How: Our skin contains melanin, a natural substance that gives us some protection to the sun's UV rays. It is this melanin that builds up to give us a tan when we sunbathe. However this tan is not a sign of health as we often believe, instead it is a sign that our skin has been damaged. Tanning simply means our skin will show signs of premature aging in later life not to mention the risk of developing skin cancer.
Danger zone: The sun gives off powerful radiation waves, including different kinds of ultraviolet rays. Here are the two that should concern you:
- UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin layer, causing premature ageing and increasing the risk of skin cancer.
- UVB rays burn the surface of the skin, causing it to tan and burn.
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