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Should bleaching products be banned in Ghana too?

Considering that Ivory Coast, where most of the bleaching products that plague the Ghanaian market, are being produced has banned bleaching, should Ghana follow suite?

 

Ivory Coast has banned skin whitening creams, which are widely used in west Africa, because of fears they cause lasting damage to health, the health ministry said Wednesday.

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"Cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams... that de-pigment the skin... are now forbidden," the ministry said in a statement.

The ban affects whitening creams and lotions containing mercury and its derivatives, cortisone, vitamin A or more than two percent hydroquinine, a lightening agent that is used to develop photographs.

"The number of people with side effects caused by these medicines is really high," said Christian Doudouko, a member of Ivory Coast's pharmaceutical authority, warning that they could cause skin cancer.

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