South Africa is marketed to the world as Mandela's rainbow nation, where everyone is proud of their race and heritage. But for some black South Africans there is such a thing as being too black.
   A recent study by the University of Cape Town suggests that one woman in three in South Africa bleaches her skin. The reasons for this are as varied as the cultures in this country but most people say they use skin-lighteners because they want "white skin".

  Local dermatologists say they are seeing more and more patients whose skin has been damaged by years of bleaching - most of the time irreversibly.

  In many parts of Africa and Asia, lighter-skinned woman are considered more beautiful, are believed to be more successful and more likely to find marriage.

  The origin of this belief in Africa is not clear, but researchers have linked it to Africa's colonial history where white skin was the epitome of beauty.

  Some have also suggested that people from "brown nations" around the world tended to look down upon dark-skinned people.

  The World Health Organization has reported that Nigerians are the highest users of such products: 77% of Nigerian women use the products on a regular basis. They are followed by Togo with 59%; South Africa with 35%; and Mali at 25%.

  South Africa banned products containing more than 2% of hydroquinone - the most common active ingredient in the 1980s. But it is easy to see creams and lotions containing the chemical on the stalls here. Some creams contain harmful steroids and others mercury.

  Psychologists say there are also underlying reasons why people bleach their skin - but low self-esteem and, to some degree self-hate, are a common thread.

  But skin-lightening is not just a fascination and obsession of women. Congolese hair stylist Jackson Marcelle says he has been using special injections to bleach his skin for the past 10 years. Each injection lasts for six months.

  Entrenched in the minds of many Africans from a young age is the adage "if it's white, it's all right", a belief that has chipped away at the self-esteem of millions.

  Until this changes, no amount of official bans or public information campaigns will stop people risking serious damage to their health in the pursuit of what they think is beauty.

  南非以“彩虹之国”著称，这也是曼德拉对该国的称呼。这里每个人都以自己的种族和文化遗产自豪。但对于某些南非黑人来说，肤色太黑却成为他们的困扰。

  开普敦大学最新研究表明，1/3的南非女性会漂白皮肤，原因就像该国的文化一样多种多样，但大多数女性表示使用美白产品是因为想要“肤色白皙”。

  当地皮肤科医生说，越来越多的病人因为长年漂白皮肤而导致皮肤受损，很多时候这种损害是不可逆的。

  在非洲和亚洲的许多地区，人们认为肤色白皙的女性更漂亮，更加成功，也更容易嫁得如意郎君。

  非洲人有如此想法的根源还不清楚，但研究人员认为这与非洲的殖民史有关，在非洲，白皮肤被认为是美丽的象征。

  还有人表示，来自全球“棕色皮肤国家”的人会看不起黑色皮肤的人。

  根据世界卫生组织的报告，在非洲，尼日利亚人使用美白产品的比例最高：77%的尼日利亚女性经常使用美白产品。排在其后的是多哥（59%）；南非（35%）和马里（25%）。

  南非禁止制造出售对苯二酚含量超过2%的化妆品，对苯二酚在上世纪80年代是化妆品中最常见的成分。但在南非的柜台上，含有这种化学成分的面霜和护肤液随处可见。一些面霜甚至含有有害的类固醇甚至水银。

  心理学家表示，人们漂白皮肤有潜在的原因，但常见的心理因素是自卑，甚至在某些程度上自怨自艾。

  并不只有女性才热衷美白皮肤。刚果发型师杰克逊-马塞尔说，他在过去10年一直注射美白针来美白皮肤。每针的有效期达半年。

  很多非洲人自幼就有“肤白就貌美”的想法，这一想法也削弱了数百万非洲人的自尊心。

  如果不改变这种观念，就算有再多的政府禁令、公开进行再多的信息宣传，都无法阻止人们冒着损害健康的风险来追求他们所认为的美丽。