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Posted: 28-May-2009 15:13 hrs
Dermatologist Suzanne Oumou Niang looks at a patient with scarred and destroyed skin caused by using skin lightening creams at a hospital in Dakar"Women of all ages and of all social classes use the products because there are creams to suit every budget," she said.
A study in 2000 by a team of Senegalese scientists in two working-class neighbourhoods in Dakar showed that some 65 percent of women used the creams, dermatologist Fatimata Ly, who heads the Senegal-based International Association for Information about Artificial Depigmentation (AIIDA), told AFP.
The patients who consult dermatologist Niang often have acne, black spots and even abscesses from using the creams.
"The biggest risks are the severe skin infections usually caused by steroids, which can cause blood poisoning," she said.
The use of the steroid creams has also been linked to high blood pressure and diabetes, Ly added.
A 2006 study at the maternity unit of the Dakar Institute of Social Hygiene also showed that babies born to mothers who excessively used steroid creams had a lower than average birth weight, Ly said.
Like Mrs. Diop, however, many women develop what doctors call a psychological dependence on a product that helped boost their confidence.
A 2004 study by a team of Senegalese health professionals, including a psychologist, showed that many women equate lighter skin with being modern, seductive and of higher social standing.
"The women have the idea that if they stop using the products they will no longer be themselves," Niang said.
Mrs. Diop admitted she was surprised by unexpected compliments when she did finally stop.
"Everybody says I look younger even than my husband. My natural colour and skin tone are back." — AFP
From TODAYOnline.com, Health – Thursday, 28-May-2009; see the source article here.
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