Skin bleaching is becoming a common phenomenon across Africa. Women in dark skin have gone to great lengths to change their skin tone. In DRC, women use a product called hydroquinone, which is said to have very severe side effects. A women’s organization there has, however, launched a campaign to discourage this trend. The culture of skin bleaching is common place in DRC but concerns have emerged over the side effects of the procedures or products used. Most women use hydroquinone, a skin bleaching product. Hydroquinone has various uses but cosmetologists warn that it is not suitable for bleaching. It can cause permanent skin damage, when the skin loses pigmentation. Not all people though think lighter skin is more beautiful. Toning. Lightening. Brightening. Whitening. While the marketing slogans promoting skin enhancement in Africa might be varied, the underlying effects are pretty identical. In many parts of Africa and Asia, lighter-skinned woman are considered more beautiful, are believed to be more successful and more likely to find marriage. The origin of this belief in Africa is not clear, but researchers have linked it to Africa’s colonial history where white skin was the epitome of beauty. Some have also suggested that people from “brown nations” around the world tended to look down upon dark-skinned people. According to the World Health Organization, Nigeria tops the list of African countries with high cases of skin bleaching, followed by South Africa, Togo, Senegal and Mali .
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