A model has her makeup done backstage at a fashion show
in Dakar , Senegal
for Dakar Fashion Week.
“Beauty is only skin deep.” This expression means that
beauty is only a temporary surface quality.
And some beauty products can cause lasting damage that goes far below
the surface of the skin.
But people, especially women, will risk a lot for beauty.
In the
Health experts advise against what is called “tanning”
because of its links to skin cancer.
In the African country of
The World Health Organization says that 25 percent of
Senegalese women use skin-lightening products on a usual basis. These products can contain chemicals such as
mercury, hydroquinone and sodium hydroxide.
These are dangerous ingredients that can cause cancer and possibly other
physical damage to the skin. They can
actually burn the eyes and skin.
An average beauty supply shop in
Shop worker Adama Diagne advises her visitors to avoid the
stronger products that promise fast results.
She uses a cream that is made from carrots and not the strong chemical,
hydroquinone.
She says that it is a personal choice and that no one
pressures her. She says that some women
want to be black every day. But for her,
she likes to be a shade of brown.
Women in
But some products are so strong they must be mixed with
others before they are used. One such
soap is called “Day Before the Wedding.”
This thinking troubles Senegalese filmmaker Khardiata Pouye
Sall. So, she made "This Color That
Bothers Me," a film about the subject of skin lightening.
"I used the most shocking images so that women would
see the dangers. It is hard to
understand why a woman would tell herself that dark skin is not beautiful. It is in their heads. They want to please a man, to be loved. Or
they want to please society, to succeed."
Ms. Sall says the government needs to better control the
marketing and sale of skin lighteners.
But she adds education is the best way to persuade people against using
them.
This Health Report was written by VOA's Anne Look in
I’m Anna Matteo.
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