Before I started higher institution, I bleached my skin and I loved the way people admired my fairness.

I got into the higher institution in 2014 studying Biology/Chemistry, my field of studies gave me enough sense and reasons to discontinue my bleaching activity.

Trust me, it wasn't easy.
Most of my colleagues gossiped about the fact that I was turning dark, one even asked me if my cream was finished, the other told me that she liked my fair skin colour compared to the dark complexion.
One of my church member in town, asked me if I was suffering that I was turning really dark, I should go back to my fair skin tone but they don't understand that I now know better.

Now I am married and one of the reasons my husband married me was because I had a dark skin.

Definition of Skin Bleaching:

Skin lightening, or skin bleaching, is a cosmetic procedure that aims to lighten dark areas of skin or achieve a generally paler skin tone.
It's usually used to improve the appearance of blemishes such as birthmarks and dark patches (melasma).

Skin lightening is achieved using agents that block the production of melanin and often contain drugs such as hydroquinone, superpotent topical steroids or mercury. These drugs can cause serious local and systemic complication.

How do you know if your skin is bleaching?

Since it is very difficult to bleach the knuckles, lightened skin will appear extremely pale everywhere else, except at the knuckles, which will retain the original colour therefore standing out in contrast to the lighter fingers. Bleached skin looks thin and delicate.

Harmful Effects of Skin Bleaching:

- Possible side effects are: redness and swelling (skin irritation and inflammation) a burning or stinging sensation. itchy and flaky skin.

- People who use skin products containing mercury have been found to have elevated mercury levels in their hair, blood, and urine.

- Mercury can damage the kidneys, affect the nervous system, or cause pain or rashes.

- Pregnant women and women of child-bearing age should avoid exposure to mercury.

- Whether it's used on your skin or your hair, bleach is a harsh invader that breaks apart your hair proteins to remove colour. Bleaching involves using chemicals like hydrogen peroxide on your skin to lighten and even out your skin tone. But due to its acidic nature, hydrogen peroxide can be quite harmful to your skin.

- Other harmful effects include brain damage, toxicity, kidney damage, dermatitis, and sensitivity among others.
Though after various and continuous sensitisation on the hazards of skin bleaching, the cosmetic industry has taken a more subtle approach of alternative lightening products which are derived from plants.

- Overusing skin-bleaching products can cause irreversible damage, and the skin might not return to its original condition even after bleaching has stopped.

Correction of Skin Bleaching:

- Sunlight exposure is one of the natural ways to reduce bleach effect on the outer part of the body. This is because as the skin absorbs the sun's rays, it will darken the sections where bleaching had occurred, thereby reversing skin bleaching.

- If properly maintained, bleaching effects will last nearly four weeks. As mentioned before, frequent bleaching your skin may damage your skin. 4 to 8 weeks of gap between each bleaching session is necessary.

Nature was wise when it gave Africans a dark skin. We've got a very hot sun producing a very high rate of Ultraviolet ray, this is because Africa is closer to the equator where the sun shines most. So the Dark skin produces melanin to protect us from the UV rays of the sun.
Exposure to UV rays can cause premature aging of the skin and signs of sun damage such as wrinkles, leathery skin, liver spots, actinic keratosis, and solar elastosis. UV rays can also cause eye problems. They can cause the cornea (on the front of the eye) to become inflamed or burned.

Why Africans have dark skin:

Dark-skinned humans have high amounts of melanin found in their skin.



Melanin is derivative of the amino acid tyrosine. Eumelanin is the dominant form of melanin found in human skin. Eumelanin protects tissues and DNA from the radiation damage of UV light.



The pigment melanin, which gives human skin its color, is produced inside the skin's melanocytes, by organelles called melanosomes. Organelles are parts of cells typically surrounded by a membrane that separates their contents from the rest of the cell.

Dual personality

What happens if you lack melanin?

If your body makes too little melanin, your skin gets lighter.


Examples of conditions in which the skin lacks melanin are:

- Vitiligo is a condition that causes patches of light skin.

- Albinism is a genetic condition affecting a person's skin.
A person with albinism may have no color, lighter than normal skin color, or patchy missing skin color.

Importance of Melanin:

- Melanin provides pigmentation to your skin, eyes and hair. The substance also absorbs harmful UV (ultraviolet) rays and protects your cells from sun damage.

- The major source of our body's vitamin D comes from our own production in the skin. This requires the ultraviolet rays from sunlight to form vitamin D3; both the liver and the kidneys are needed to then create the active form of vitamin D.