Senegal's Fashion Victims

DAKAR, Senegal, Jan. 12, 2009— -- To see the effects of racism based on skin color most clearly, one should go to the developing world.

In richer countries people are increasingly comfortable, and successful, regardless of their natural skin color, but in many African countries like Senegal, trying to change one's skin color is still seen as a way to get ahead.

"Some Senegalese women," Emilie, a student at Dakar University, told ABC News, "are trying to look like the white girls they see on television."

From ads on highway billboards, to little stands in marketplaces, skin bleaching products are almost everywhere.

They sell well, despite what public health officials say are grave risks of using them, including cancer.

The cheapest creams cost around $5 per tube, a small fortune in Senegal, and they are also among the most dangerous.

At a market in Dakar, a young hairdresser who was unwilling to reveal her name told ABC News she had used the creams. "It's more beautiful to have lighter skin. A bit lighter, it's a bit better," she said.

Who says it is more beautiful to have light skin, ABC News asked. "Well, women of course, yes. Men prefer women with lighter skin."

She said, however, that she knew the creams can be dangerous and that she tried "to use products, which are not too strong."

Some of these creams contain chemicals that can wipe out the skin's natural protections, doctors say.

"I cannot tell you about the dangers of those creams," said a man who identified himself as Buzz. He sells the cream on the streets of Dakar. "I am not an expert, I am just a salesman."

According to experts, however, the effects can be devastating

.

"We have diagnosed the first cases of skin cancer," Dakar dermatologist Fatimata Ly told ABC News, "with women who have been using those creams for a long time."

Infection, acne and facial hair growth are other side effects women face, yet skin bleaching is still on the rise, despite campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers.

Women from all walks of life, from the low-income bracket to the wealthy, well-educated, bleach their skins, according to Ly. "No one is spared," she said,