In the grimy slums of Jamaica, people have been trying to alter their skin color with chemicals sold on the black market. The skin lightening craze has been growing worse, and doctors now say it has reached dangerous proportions.

Most of the Jamaican bleachers are using over the counter creams that are mostly knockoffs that get imported from West Africa. Long-term use of one of the leading ingredients, hydroquinone, has been linked to ochronosis, which is a disfiguring condition that causes splotchy darkening of the skin. Doctors say abuse of the bleaching lotions can also leave stretch marks across the face.

Hydroquinone has been taken out of skin products in Australia, Japan, and Europe due to health risks. In the U.S, if skin creams contain hydroquinone up to two percent, it is safe. The lightening creams in Jamaica are not regulated, which leaves roadside vendors to sell tubes and plastic bags of powder right out of the box. Most of the tubes do not have the actual ingredients that are in them. Make sure you read SkinCeuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair reviews before you purchase it for your skin.

There are also extreme bleachers that are using ointments that are illegal, which have been smuggled into the Caribbean; these contain mercury, which is toxic to humans. Other people use homemade remedies that contain toothpaste or curry powder, that lighten with a yellowish tint.

The Jamaican Ministry of Health does not have data on damage caused by skin-bleaching agents, though dermatologists and other health officials say they have been seeing more cases throughout the slums. Health officials have been running warnings through television and the radio, along with putting up posters in schools, holding lectures, and handing out pamphlets on the dangers of skin bleaching.

The trend is a growing public debate, while reggae hits are celebrating or condemning the practice. Vybz Kartel has had his own complexion change dramatically throughout recent years, and he insists that skin bleaching is simply a personal choice like tattooing. His song, “Look Pon Me” even contains the line, “…Di girl love off mi brown cute face, di girl dem love off mi bleach-out face.”

Some doctors and professors believe the skin bleaching is due to an epidemic of color prejudice, but we can never know for sure. For now, it’s the cool and fashionable thing to do, and even the boys are doing it now too.