February 2021: Public outreach, risk perceptions, and behavioral change: Skin-lightening agent use in Ghana

Skin-lightening agents have a long and storied past, and their adoption has been closely tied to cultural perceptions —and misperceptions—of beauty. In their recent article in JAAD International, Owusu-Agyei et al1 highlight the self-reported skin-lightening practices of a group of shoppers in Kumasi, Ghana. The authors found that approximately 40% of respondents engaged in the use of skin-lightening agents, e ven in the face of legal restrictions on their sale.2 Moreover, the popularity of skin lightening was not limited to women because more than a quarter of men surveyed also admitted to using these agents.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: This month in Source Type: research