Thread by @diaryofa9jagirl

#DANGthebleachingepisode

“Ife, I started lightening my skin in Uni. I liked the way a lot of my light-skinned friends looked & I thought to lighten my skin like theirs after all my mum was light-skinned, my dad and my sister are somewhat caramel. So, I could get away with it...

I started with tube creams like tempovate, then I moved on to gel creams. As I got lighter, I began to receive compliments from guys and girls.

As life would happen, I met a boy who liked light skinned girls so I started to use more intense skin lightening creams.

I went to Yaba to mix my creams then moved to Lagos Island to get an even more intense concoction especially as my knuckles just didn’t cooperate with my body.

Then I got married. I found myself competing for my husband with Naturally light-skinned girls.

I couldn’t stop now.

Even though I had become tired of it all, maintaining my light skin was more important at this time so I went online and found some creams with all sorts of chemical peels. I tried those.

My skin had become paper-thin at this time. My knuckles (hands and feet)

were dark as charcoal, it was a sorry sight.

I would hide my hands and feet all the time but that didn’t stop me from bleaching.

Yes, My friends complained (well those who had the courage to address it) but it did nothing because then, I got divorced which made things worse.

I sunk deeper into the skin lightning business. I tried all the popular skin lightening vendors. Those people are evil!!!

They would tell you that their ingredients were organic and you’d see their skin popping so they must have been doing something right, right?

Well, the results I saw were often temporary, my knuckles went back to being black, my skin, still paper thin.

One day with the help of my friends I just quit! I said to myself, no more, let the skin turn out however but this has to stop!

I was more motivated to stop when a popular makeup artist decided she was going off skin lightening products.

I also started following women who were comfortable in their own skin, light or dark. Women like Jackie Aina and yourself.

I have some mole like nodules growing on my skin especially my neck, chest and face till date but I can live with it.

I’m a pharmacist and I should have known better. There are very serious consequences to bleaching, I’m happy I stopped.

It’s been a year and 4 months since I stopped bleaching my skin. I’m healing well, my face is flawless now and I look pretty good I must say. I use only Eucerin and sometimes shea moisture oil.

I have saved myself N123,000 monthly. I’m free, thank you, Jesus, I’m free!

Hello, my name is Nkechi and I was a bleacher.”

#DANG #DearDANG

Written for @diaryofa9jagirl by Nkechi O.