Love yourself despite what the world has told you. This will be the resonating message behind this week's article.

The beauty industry has reared its ugly head yet again with their skin whitening creams that promise to deliver a bright and even tone to its customers. Young African, Asian, and Middle Eastern women are flocking to their neighborhood markets in efforts of chasing a fantasy: the dream of achieving a lighter complexion.

From giant billboards to commercial advertisements, women from all over the world are bombarded with a singular image of beauty. For many people, this message is mentally damaging and serves as an unfair representation. In African, Indian, and Asian cultures alike, men and women with fair complexions are cast in the best parts of the biggest movies and commercials. Marriage proposals and job security are even directly correlated with skin fairness so one can ask the questions: How do you blame them for wanting to be fair? Where did this mindset even come from? In the course of this article, I will attempt to answer both of these questions as well as shed some light on the possible harmful effects of these products.

What is skin bleaching used for?

More often than not, these over the counter products are proven to be dangerous and ineffective. For those of my readers who may not be familiar with skin bleaching or "lightening" creams, let's take a look at what these products truly are.

According to an article by The Dermatology Group, skin bleaching ointments are prescribed to patients, by their physicians, to treat skin discoloration caused by conditions like Melasma, hyper pigmentation and acne. Many of these creams contain a powerful chemical called hydroquinone which blocks the production of melanin (a natural pigment found in the body that gives the skin, eyes and hair color). This chemical found in prescription medications although powerful and delivers measurable results in low doses does present a health risk and thus has been banned in parts of Europe and Africa.

Many people blame European colonization for the abuse of skin lightening creams. A popular belief amongst people of color, particularly those of African descent is that the social hierarchy of "light-skinned" blacks over the darker skinned black population in America during to colonial era has caused generational mental illness that manifests itself in forms of self-hate and cultural assimilation.

So...is it a fad or is it self-hate?

What was once used to treat skin problems have morphed into a billion dollar industry. In parts of Africa and Jamaica skin lightening is seen as a fad; a mere trend of the times. Those who do partake in such procedures don't feel as though they are mentally ill, in fact, they believe that they're simply advancing themselves in society. The popular belief of a lighter complexion being the key that opens the door to love and financial wealth continues to plague the minds of millions of people, but are they wrong?

Many studies have found that in parts of Jamaica, the common trend among Black individuals who were financially successful were those of a lighter complexion and Black artists like Vybz Kartel are helping push the idea that lighter skin is preferable over dark with his music lyrics that glamorizes skin bleaching.

In his interview with the New York based radio station Hot 97, he discussed his role in popularizing skin bleaching. In the interview, he states that he holds no responsibility for the growing trend of skin whitening and as a musician his primary job is to entertain his audience. Not everyone takes this growing trend so lightly. In fact, many people are calling for the ban of such harsh chemicals and seek to uplift their community by educating them on the toll it's taking on both their bodies and their minds .

But we're not hurting anyone...

Dedicated skin bleachers often state that what they're doing to their bodies isn't hurting anyone else and that they've been using it for an extended period of time with no issues. The fact is that skin bleaching can cause serious life threatening issues. The possible side effects should be considered before deciding on continued use. The list of possible side effects includes skin cancer, dark gray spots, weight gain, thinning of the skin, swelling of the skin, cataracts, osteoporosis, kidney damage due to mercury exposure, psychiatric disorders, birth defects and the list goes on.

Now what?

There are natural options to choose from when searching for a skin brightener. If the desire is to treat dark spots, not change the natural skin complexion, opt for exfoliants with natural skin lightening components such as citrus and lemon extracts as well as vitamin B3. Choosing to go for natural and safe ingredients puts the control in the user's hands, it also promotes a sense of health and wellness.

Drinking the recommended amount of water will also greatly impact the integrity of the skin. Self-love takes more than just slathering a chemical ladened cream on yourself in hopes of chasing some unattainable dream. In its truest form self-love is self-care. Applying dangerous chemicals on the body to achieve a singular idea of beauty does no one any good. The idea that blackness is anything but beautiful is a great deception that should no longer live in the minds of others. Black is beautiful. Brown is beautiful and so is everything in between.