My neighbour, a lady who works at an insurance company, was transferred from her front office reception to a less conspicuous office. She has been rubbing in skin lightening creams religiously, with aims to brighten the complexion of her face and other visible body parts like the hands and neck. I am not sure how long she has been at it but some results are clearly visible. On her cheeks, she has stubborn acne like someone tried to microwave her face or spilled acid on it. Her face might have gotten a little fairer but it seems like even the slightest touch would bruise her, her blood capillaries are almost visible at the sides of her eyes. My neighbour does not fall short in looks; she is pretty, tall and has a nice body but has been consumed by a desire to be ‘fairer’.More and more women are subscribing to a school of thought that states that women with lighter skin are prettier than the dark skinned ones. In their defense, society tends to treat light skinned women as an endangered species. Light skinned ladies are easy on the eyes but not always prettier than dark skinned ladies. They stand out in crowds but are not always the prettiest. Aisles of beauty shops and supermarkets are lined with varieties of skin lightening creams on sale but their possible effects remain unknown to the ladies. They are affordable and easily accessible.  Most women don’t read warning labels on the creams and even when they do, they don’t take it seriously. Advertisements with shots of models with flawless skins are enough to convince potential clients. You would think that in the pursuit for attractiveness, these ladies would Google health risks. If they did they would come across testimonies and images of people who have experienced dangerous side effects. Dermatologists explain that some of the creams contain mercury compounds which when used excessively could lead to kidney or brain damage. Other ingredients have been known to cause skin discolouration and reduction of melanin (refer to high school biology) that result to acne or stretch marks.  Google would have led them to words like osteoporosis which I believe is ugly enough to scare anyone without even finding out the meaning.  A Dermatologist also explained that these skin creams are not for one time use, the skin actually gets addicted to them and without them, one can experience stubborn rashes. Other side effects include swelling, stretch marks, high blood pressure, not forgetting the stares and finger pointing from the people you set out to impress.  With very many ladies willing to take such risks in pursuit of attractiveness you can’t help but wonder, is being dark skinned really that bad?