Skin Bleaching Canker

I have said this several times, I will never relent on putting my displeasure into writings whenever they arise, The bleaching canker in my beloved zongo community has caught my attention and I won't allow it to escape my pens irrespective of the insults and the criticism that will follow.

The issue of skin bleaching has taken the good sense of some ladies lately, I personally believe if indeed there is anything at all to bleach in their lives, they should rather bleach their attitudes, rather than their skin, If a ladies character cannot find her a suitable man, then definitely the color of your skin wont either.

The misconception lingering in their mind with regards to an old philosophy that says men easily fall in love with fair lady is a principal contributing factor to the skin bleaching madness .Let assume without admitting the fact that the above philosophy is true, certainly, men will like natural fair women but not artificial stinky smelling women. There is overwhelming statistics that suggest that, Body odour is number one contributor of bad and unstable relationship.

In recent years the practice of skin bleaching has come under fire because of its potential negative health effects. There is evidence to suggest that some types of skin-bleaching products use active ingredients (such as mercurous chloride) and hydroquinone which can be harmful.

Hydroquinone and mercury are main ingredients found in skin bleaching creams and are considered toxic chemicals. These chemical compounds can cause side effects. Hydroquinone is a strong inhibitor of melanin production, meaning that it prevents the skin from making the substance responsible for skin color. Skin bleaching destroys the black pigment found in the epidermis (top layer of the skin). Exposure of the dermis layer, underneath the epidermis layer, to the harsh weather will increase the incidence of skin cancer.

When the dermis cannot compensate for the absence of the epidermis and coupled with the hot sun, one will get a higher risk of cancer. Creams that alter skin pigmentation can have ingredients that are not compatible with every skin tone thus can have side effects. Toxic levels of mercury may lead to mercury poisoning which causes neurological and kidney damage, and may also lead to psychiatric disorders and severe birth defects.

The sun rays may be beneficial in producing Vitamin D which is very necessary in the body's use of calcium and ensures the strength of our bones but more importantly, the rays are dangerous. The ultraviolet rays in a sensitive skin type causes premature ageing evident by wrinkling, caused by the destruction of the elastic fibres which maintains the integrity of the skin, thinning of the skin and white patches from increased keratin. The skin gets burnt and painful and eventually results in increased skin cancers.

A lot of the initial immigrants to Australia and New Zealand suffered a lot. In view of the fact that their skin type was not protective against the harsh sun rays in Australia and New Zealand, a lot of them ended with solar damage and skin cancers. History tells us that Australia and some part of New Zealand was originally or better say naturally designated for the Aborigines who were black. So after the extinction of Aborigine race by the white people, living in Australia became difficult because their skin was not configured for the hot sun in Australia. Australia has the greatest number of skin cancers in the world and has over the past 15 years launched a public health campaign against unprotected sun exposure.

God in his own wisdom gave you the dark skin because he is going to make Africa your dwelling place as such there is the need to have a darker skin pigment to help you shield the sun rays that directly affect your body, but out of low self esteem and blind adoption of western culture you want to be fair like the white people who barely see or feel a heat of a sun in a year.

If indeed any bleaching person knows the importance of the dark pigment in their skin, they won't dare take it off for trivial and balderdash reason. Anytime we want to acquire material things, our focus is always on Original products, then what stops us from been Original ourselves, I seriously see bleaching women just like the China phones we hate to buy whenever we want to patronize a cell phone. Most of these creams that aid in skin bleaching are from China, so indirectly this artificial fair ladies are more or less China made ladies and trust me they won't last long just like the China phones.

Nothing can be compared to natural dark colors, Women who maintain their natural color always look confidence and beautiful, their aging is even more beautiful as compare to the bleaching ladies who look like ripe local mangoes. The disgusting part of the bleaching life is the ex-gratia you received on your faces when you grow old. The wrinkled and mangled face like a rotten cocoa pod. Black is beautiful and until we begin to reason like Africans and take pride in ourselves, we would continue to remain mentally imprisoned by this imperialist tactics.

I am armed with the conviction that, if we can embark on a campaign to educate people on the importance of their skin and the consequence of skin bleaching, we will be able to achieve a result. Remember, that beauty lies in the eye of its beholder and 'being natural is beauty in itself'.

The One Legacy Foundation will soon launch a Campaign on skin bleaching.

You can call for inquiry 0266722272/ 0233722272

Mohammed Legacy
p.o.box at 644 Achimota-Accra
ONE LEGACY'S SOCIO-ECONOMIC PINKSHEETS