'Skin lightening has irreversible complications'
The medical fraternity and the KZN Department of Health will lead an awareness march through Durban today.
The march sets out to highlight the dangers of skin lightening treatments.
It begins at the Durban Christian Centre at the bottom of King Dinuzulu Road at midday and wraps up at the Gugu Dlamini Park behind the Workshop in the CBD.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal's Professor Ncoza Dlova says there are numerous psycho-social factors that see people resorting to skin lightening treatments which often have irreversible complications.
Also read: Skin bleaching awareness march scheduled for Durban tomorrow
"There's a perception that if you are lighter - you are more attractive and chances of getting married, or a job are higher. Amongst the Indian community - there's a caste system suggesting that if you are lighter, you tend to be allocated to come from a higher class compared to people that are darker. So all these perceptions should be dispelled," she said.
The Head of the Discipline of Dermatology at UKZN says there's been an increase in the number of people using skin lightening treatments in the last five to seven years.