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7/31/2019 GLAM - Mirror Mirror on the Wall
1/4
JANUARY 2012 / 1
7/31/2019 GLAM - Mirror Mirror on the Wall
2/4
30 / JANUARY 2012
eauty trends have their
ebb and fow. There
is no raging debate on
our preerences or the
choices we make be it
the shape o our eyebrows, shade o our lipstick
shades, nail art or hair lengths. Talk skin colouron the other hand, and ammunition at the ready,
both sides are ready to re.
Skin whitening is a sensitive issue that oten
sparks strong opinions. There are psychologi-
cal, social and political undertones attributed
to who people crave a lighter complexion: Is it
airytale hangover rom reading o Snow White
as a child? Maybe an echo o racial discrimina-
tion? Or that most ashion icons we see are air
skinned beauties? A marketing ploy that eeds
on insecurities, perhaps?
Women tend to stand divided, believing
strongly against or or the quest o airer skin,
but the pursuit o the latter seems to be gaining
the upper hand as the beauty industry increas-
ingly churns out more products that relate to
skin whitening.
More than just the simple act o achieving air
skin, the desire to be airer and whiter is drivenby social and racial implications as we continue
to be mesmerised by visuals o air women in
the media. I am sure we have all seen TV adver-
tisements (in Asia, Arica and the Arab world)
where an olive-skinned girl was duly ignored
by the boy o her dreams. Several weeks later,
when she reappeared with airer skin ater us-
ing the advertised skin whitening lotion, her
boy crush then becomes smitten by her newskin tone. What kind o message exactly are we
sending to the young women out there?
The tone and message is repeatedly used in so
many similar products, we have either become
immune to how oensive it is. Not just in ad-
vertisements, but every day, in various media
channels, we are subversively being ed the idea
that only Snow White will be successul and
happy in lie. Ever notice how the antagonists
in TV shows and movies are usually o a darker
colour? Ever notice how out o 12 covers o any
given magazine, less than three are adorned by
women o darker skin tones?
Lighten the diversity, please!The big hoo-hah in the entertainment and ash-
ion industry to be more inclusive and diverseremains, just that-a hoo-hah. Somalian super-
model Iman is celebrated as a beautiul Arican
beauty, yet, magazines airbrush her skin colour
to a lighter tone to be worthy o their covers.
While thousands o other aspiring young A-
rican girls who look to Iman as a source o in-
spiration, are bound to question their own skin
colour. Perhaps it would be easier or them to
emulate Iman i they had a lighter skin tone and
thus spark the insatiable demand or skin-whit-
ening products and treatment regardless o the
side eects that may occur.
Two o the biggest pop stars today are beauti-
ul coloured women like Beyonce and Rihanna.
The duo are also strong advocates o embracing
their own diverse ethnicity; especially Rihanna
who comes rom Barbados. But exactly how e-ective is their voice in empowering women i
photos o these stars become increasingly light-
ened over time?
In India, which is a huge market or skin-
whitening products, powerhouse actresses in-
cluding ormer Miss World Aishwariya Rai and
Kareena Kapoor are also much celebrated or
their airer complexion (more than their acting
prowess) which symbolises beauty and success.
As this message trickles down to the billion-plus
population, all that is let is the constant quest to
be the airest o them all, because only women
who are air will achieve happiness in lie.
mirrormirror
on
thewall,WHoS
THe fAireSTof uS ALL?
by dEbrIna alIyaH
7/31/2019 GLAM - Mirror Mirror on the Wall
3/4
JANUARY 2012 / 31
glam feature
The Arab fixThe notion that white skin represents a supe-
rior race and ultimate beauty is very much pres-ent in this region as large majority o women
continue to seek out skin whitening treatments.
Not only do they use over-the-counter skin-
whitening products that are oered by almost
all beauty brands, they go to great lengths seek-
ing both invasive and non-invasive surgeries to
lighten their skin.
About 90 percent o my patients who have
come in seeking other treatments will eventual-
ly enquire about skin-whitening treatments and
most o them do it or vanity and beauty reasons
rather than or medical conditions like black
spots or birth marks, dermatologist Dr Sanaa
Mustapha rom the Dr Hassan Dermatology &
Venereology Centre explains. While most o us
dream o a Prince Charming that will accept us
or all our faws, skin colour included, it seemsthat this is no longer a legit dream.
Most o the women here view white skin as
the absolute symbol o beauty and the men pre-
er women with whiter skin too. It is especially
important to women who are going to be mar-
ried because they want airer complexion or
their wedding celebrations, she says.
Whats that on your skin?The treatments oered as non-invasive pro-
cedures include the usage o topical cream
and chemical peels. The main active unction
in most non-invasive procedures is to reduce
and prevent the amount o melanin produc-
tion which is the substance responsible or our
natural skin colour. The latest non-invasive
procedure that is gaining popularity is the non-
ablitave laser resuracing which targets the mi-
croscopic zones o the epidermis and dermis to
result in airer complexion.
Controversial invasive procedures that have
made headlines or causing adverse side eects
include dermabrasion and ablitave laser treat-
ment. Dermabrasion involves the abrasion o the
upper layers o the skin akin to using sandpaperto wood and the procedure requires local anaes-
thetic. The ablitave laser treatment is based on
the same concept o upper layer skin removal by
directing brie intense burst o laser energy on
the skin. The energy heats water within the sur-
ace layers o the skin and turns both water and
tissue to vapour. Both procedures will result in
the skin being sore and raw ater the treatment
and requires long periods o time to heal withdelicate care.
Non-invasive procedures are what we would
usually recommend to patients seeking skin
lightening treatments or cosmetic reasons.
Invasive procedures are only used to treat pa-
tients with medical skin conditions. The ad-
verse eects o invasive procedures are just not
justied or cosmetic purposes considering that
it may result in hyper pigmentation, scarring,
white head ormation, erythema, inection and
post infammatory hyper pigmentation. These
complications are especially common in dark
skin individuals, Dr Sanaa explains.
7/31/2019 GLAM - Mirror Mirror on the Wall
4/432 / JANUARY 2012
glam feature
Risky beautyDespite the risks o irreversible skin damage and
hyper pigmentation, women continue to fock to
dermatologists demanding or these procedures
hoping or instant gratication and not thinking
about the long-term eects on their skin.
48-year-old Nurliza Shareen who underwenta dermabrasion treatment says she had to stay
at home or close to two weeks because her skin
was sore and she just could not bear to meet
people during the period with her red ace.
When she nally let home, she had to wear a
visor cap or close to a month to protect her ace
rom the sun.
However, not all women who seek skin light-
ening treatments are looking or the porcelainperect airness but are just trying to improve
skin conditions including black spots, uneven
skin tones and birth marks. These can usu-
ally be remedied with over-the-counter beauty
creams which are available at beauty spas and
pharmacies. Although this method may not pro-
duce immediate results, the long-term usage o
these products will allow the skin to slowly ab-
sorb and adapt to the active ingredients in the
cream ormulas.
Women in particular suer rom pigmenta-
tion and spots on their ace due to changes in
hormones at dierent phases o their lives espe-
cially during menstruation and pregnancy.
For simple cases like these, women preer to
use creams rather than undergo surgeries be-
cause it is saer, uss-ree, aordable and can be
done in the comort o their own homes, says
Carla Coetzee, Manager o Dados Beauty and
Spa. The beauty centre uses the Nu Skin skin-brightening range which helps minimise dark
spot and prevents new discolouration.
A skin whitening cream an Danieli Louzen,
says that the reason she uses these products
is to help maintain a lighter skin tone which
makes it easier or her to experiment with di-
erent makeup colours.
I have a slightly tanned complexion and I rea-
lised that only bright palette o make-up colourslike blue or pink would standout on my skin. I
started using skin-whitening skin care products
and creams to help get a airer and clearer com-
plexion so that I can use other makeup colours
including brown and grey which can help create
a sexy and sultry look.
While these may seem remarkably saer than
surgical procedures, a lot o consumers may
not realise the long-term eects o certain skin
lightening creams that contain chemicals in-
cluding hydroquinone that act to prevent the
natural production o melanin in the skin. Mela-
nin acts as a natural protection against the sun
and without it, we become more susceptible to
skin cancer. The US Food and Drug Administra-
tion has even issued a warning that over-the-
counter skin bleaching drug products are not
generally recognised as sae and eective.
Rather than resorting to surgeries or using
skin lightening creams, Dr Sanaa believes thatpreventive measure is the most important step
to preserving a healthy skin colour.
Try to avoid sun exposure as much as pos-
sible especially with the harsh weather in this
region. Unless it is absolutely necessary, try not
to go under the sun between 9am to 3pm in Qa-
tars weather. Even woman who wears the niqab
must apply sunscreen on their ace because the
abric does not serve as sucient protectionrom the sun! Always apply the sunscreen at
least 15 minutes beore you head out to allow
the skin to absorb the lotion and remember to
reapply the sunscreen every ew hours! she ad-
vises.
But ultimately, the most important concern at
hand is not the dangerous and painul methods
that women go through to achieve airness but
the complex issues o sel acceptance towards
their own natural skin colour. I we all truly
embraced diversity and inclusiveness, perhaps
then we will no longer have to endure shallow
advertising that perpetuates a airy tale.