‘My kids I made scars skin whitening cream’ – BBC News in Serbian

Mother in Nigeria is visibly disturbed as he firmly holds her two-year-old son that has burns and bright spots on his face and legs.

This 32-year-old was under the pressure of the family of her six children stumbled products for skin whitening products, and due to the use of these preparations now deeply regards.

Fatima, whose name was changed to protect the identity of her family, says one of her daughter covers the face when she comes out of the house to hide burns.

Another skin is darker now than before and has a bright circle around the eyes, while the third has whitish spots on the lips and knees.

The two-year-old still has open wounds that heal slowly.

« My sister gave birth to light children, but I’ve been darker.

« I noticed that my mother prefers sister’s children for their skin color, and that hurt me very much, » Fatima says.

He says she used creams she bought at a local supermarket in the town of Canoe, in northern Nigeria, without a medical prescription.

At first, the cream seemed to work.

Grandma began to treat Fatima’s children better, which was then aged between two and 16 years.

But then the burns and scars appeared on the skin of children.

Skin whitening preparations used in different parts of the world to cosmetic purposes, but often have deep cultural roots.

Nigerians use skin whitening preparations more than women in any other African country – as much as 77 percent regularly use them, according to the World Health Organization (SO).

In the Republic of Kong, this percentage amounts to 66 percent, in Senegal 50 percent, and in Gani 39 percent.

In creams can be corticosteroids or hydrochinone that can be harmful if used in large quantities, and in many countries they can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription.

Other ingredients that are sometimes used are poisonous metal – alive, as well as a cubic acid, a by-product in the production of Japanese alcoholic beverages Sake.

Possible side effects are dermatitis, acne and changes in skin pigmentation, but also inflammatory disorders, alive renal poisoning.

The skin can also be shown, which means that early more slowly heal and is more likely to develop infection, warning the World Health Organization (WHO).

The situation is so serious that National Agency Nigeria for food and medication control (Nafdac) declared a state of emergency 2023. years.

Women, like Fatima, are increasingly whitening and skin their children.

« Many people connect light skin with beauty or wealth, » says BBC Zainab Bashir Jau, the owner of the dermatological clinic in Abuza, the capital of Nigeria.

« Women tend to, as they say, protect their children from such discrimination by whitening their skin from birth ».

It assesses that 80 percent of the women who met already bleach their children’s skin or plan to do it.

Some parents bleached the skin when they were babies, so they just continue the practice.

One of the most common ways to determine whether someone uses skin whitening products in Nigeria is the dark color of your fingertips.

Other parts of arms or feet become brighter, but joints usually remain dark.

However, smokers and drug users also sometimes have dark spots on their hands due to smoke, so the beneficiaries of the skin whitening is sometimes wrong to classify the skin.

Fatima says that just happened to her daughters, which are now 16 and 14 years old.

« They experienced discrimination in society, everyone was pointing their finger into them and call them drugs.

« It hit them a lot, » she says.

Both have lost possible fiancés, because men do not want to be related to women suspected of using drugs.

I visited the popular market in the federal country of Cannes, where people who call themselves « mixologists » make skin bleaching creams.

There are many shops in the market where thousands of such creams are sold.

Some are already made and arranged on the shelves, but customers can also choose raw ingredients and asks for cream to be made before them.

I noticed that many whitening creams on whose labels have written that they were intended for babies contained substances subject to special regulations.

Other sellers have admitted that they use ingredients such as cavity, hydrochinone and powerful antioxidant glutathion that can cause rash and other side effects.

I also saw teenagers buying creams for whitening for themselves, but also in large quantities to resell them peers.

The woman, who had stains on her hands, insisted that the seller in the cream was added to the skin whitening agent, although this substance was only for adults and children under the law must not use it.

« Although I have spots on my hands, I’m here to buy creams for my kids to have light skin.

« I believe that my hands are like this just because I used the wrong cream.

« Nothing will happen to my kids, » she said.

One seller said most of his customers take cream because they want their baby’s skin to be « shiny » and « shining ».

Most of them seem to be aware of the approved doses of these ingredients.

One trader said that when someone wants a distinct bright way, used « many wetting acids », rather above the prescribed border, and a smaller amount when they want more subtle change.

The approved dosage of which acid in creams in Nigeria is one percent, according to Nafdac.

I even saw traders who give women injections.

Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, director of Nafdak, said efforts to make people inform and educate about risks.

He also says that raids are now on the markets, and that the authorities try to seize the skin whitening ingredients at the borders of Nigeria.

However, he acknowledged that the laws conducted by law are difficult to recognize these substances.

« Some of them are transported in unmarked containers, so if you do not send them to the laboratory for analysis, you cannot know what is in them ».

Fatima says her actions will be persecuted forever, especially if they do not heal scars on her children’s skin.

« When I told my mother what I did for her behavior and when she found out about the hazards of the cream and the stigma she was, she was sad for having to go through all that, and apologized, » Fatima said.

It is determined to help other parents do not make the same mistake.

« Although I stopped (to use the cream) … side effects are still unite.

« I ask other parents that my case serves them as an example ».

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Jutjubu and Vajiberu. If you have a topic suggestion for us please contact (Email Protected)