Has skin whitening in India gone too far?

[AamPakistani]

By Rajini VaidyanathanBBC News, Mumbai

The new ad features a young woman struggling to attract her man's attention - until she uses the shower gel
For centuries Indian women have been raised to believe that fairness is beauty, and this has given rise to a vast and ever-growing skin-whitening industry - which is now encouraging women to bleach far beyond their hands and face.
It all began with a YouTube video a friend sent me. You need to see this, she said, trying to contain her shock and laughter. And so I pressed play.
It was an advert. A couple sits on a sofa. The husband reads a paper ignoring his beautiful wife: her face, a picture of rejection.
What could this be selling? I wondered, as I watched.
Moments later, this scene of spurned love turned soapy when the leading lady was seen taking a shower.
But - she wasn't using any ordinary shower gel. No, she was using a skin lightening wash, which, as the graphic which then popped up on screen informed the viewer, would lighten her genitals.

MORE ON BBC

 

[Saadbaloch]

Jo andar sey Kaaley Hoon wo bahir sey Kia safaid hoon gey.

 

[biomat]

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/socie...r-skin-sinks-to-a-new-low-20120522-1z300.html

 

[Ghzanfar]

Yar tu kion itni tension le raha hai..... itna time waste kiya tu ne ye 'article' likhnay main....

 

[Fahad Khan 2]

ya cheez angrazon sa sekhi ha jab hum angrazon k ghulum thay toh in k goray rang ko superiority samjtay tha apna opper is liya hum loogon na dasi angraaz bana ki koshish shoro kardii or angrazi bolna or pent coat or tie be.......

 

[Malycyos Oxo]

Kya ajeeb loog hai ye b seriously.
Allah ne jo rangat de hai us pe shukar kerne ki bajaye uss mai nuqs nikalate rehte hain..!

 

[hans]

Main item used in expensive Skin whitening cream.

GENERIC NAME: tretinoin

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Tretinoin is a derivative of vitamin A. It is used on the skin (topically) in the treatment of mild to moderate acne and on skin that has been damaged by excessive exposure to the sun. Tretinoin irritates the skin and causes the cells of the skin to grow (divide) and die more rapidly, increasing the turnover of cells. The number of layers of cells in the skin actually is reduced. In patients with acne, new cells replace the cells of existing pimples, and the rapid turnover of cells prevents new pimples from forming. By a similar mechanism, tretinoin can reduce some wrinkles, areas of darkened skin (hyperpigmentation), and rough areas of skin, all of which occur in sun-damaged skin. In patients with sun-damaged skin, improvements in the skin usually are seen within the first 3 to 4 weeks of treatment. Brown spots begin to fade after six to eight weeks. Wrinkles decrease or disappear after three to six months.

PRESCRIBED FOR: Topical tretinoin is used for treating mild to moderate acne, fine wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.