In many parts of the world today there is a profitable market for products which lighten or whiten people’s skin. Outline the reasons for using such products and discuss what effects they have in terms of health and society.

In many countries, particularly places like Asia,

skin

whitening products are incredibly popular and provide huge profits for the companies involved in their sale.

This

essay will examine the reasons why people use these products and the effects

this

has on people’s health and on society. The principal reason that people use

skin

whitening products is because whiter

skin

is seen to be more desirable than darker

skin

. To understand why, we need to

firstly

look at history. In ancient times, those people of a higher status tended to stay indoors, whilst people of a lower status worked outside, usually farming.

As a result

, those people who were indoors had much lighter

skin

, which means that whiter

skin

is now associated with having a higher status than dark

skin

. Another reason, which is partly related to

this

, is the desire for the ‘Western’ look.

For example

, plastic surgery to

creat

make or cause to be or to become

create

great

western eyelids and noses is common in Asia, and the white

skin

is part of

this

. These beliefs and images are

also

perpetuated in the media, with adverts showing people with white

skin

as more successful and attractive.

However

, despite the fact that having whiter

skin

may improve a person’s self-esteem, these products can have negative effects. Regarding health, there are reports that people are harming their

skin

permanently as some products bought over the counter have prescription-strength ingredients.

For instance

, some contain steroids or toxins which can severely damage the

skin

and other parts of the body. In terms of society, there are

also

detrimental effects.

Such

behaviour perpetuates the belief that ‘white’ is better than ‘black’, and

thus

those with darker

skin

may experience discrimination. In conclusion, people use whitening products due to the fact that white

skin

, usually through the media, is portrayed as more desirable.

However

, steps should be taken to change

this

image as the drawbacks of

this

are clear, with potentially dangerous consequences for people’s future health and society as a whole.