,
Awa Nakognon Tuo-Kouassi*,
Dina Colombe Brissy-Ayekoue,
Sandia Kone-Bakayoko,
Myriam Kaba,
Apo Laurette Ingrid Anin
Voluntary skin depigmentation is a widespread social and cosmetic practice in sub-Saharan Africa. Although motivated by the pursuit of a lighter complexion, it exposes users to numerous dermatological and systemic complications. In Côte d’Ivoire, a survey conducted in Abidjan in 2008 reported a prevalence of 53%. This study aimed to assess voluntary depigmentation practices, the types of products employed, reported adverse effects, and the level of awareness of associated risks among users. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out from January to March 2019 among 150 patients recruited from five private pharmacies in Abidjan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic charac-teristics, motivations, products used, adverse effects, and perception of risks. Results were analyzed using frequency and per-centage distributions. The sample consisted predominantly of women (93%), aged 20-40 years. The main motivation was the desire for a beautiful complexion (78%). The most frequently used substances were corticosteroids (38%) and hydroquinone (33%). 94% of participants were unaware of the exact composition of the products applied. Although 35% vaguely acknowl-edged potential dangers, their overall knowledge of complications remained poor. Twenty-five percent of the study population reported adverse effects voluntary skin. An integrated strategy combining health edu-cation, stricter regulatory measures, and the active involvement of pharmacists is urgently required to mitigate the prevalence and consequences of this practice.
| Published in | Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (Volume 9, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15 |
| Page(s) | 79-83 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Survey, Voluntary Depigmentation, Skin-lightening Products, Toxicology, Pharmacies, Abidjan
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APA Style
Tigori-Sangare, B., Tuo-Kouassi, A. N., Brissy-Ayekoue, D. C., Kone-Bakayoko, S., Kaba, M., et al. (2025). Voluntary Skin Depigmentation in Abidjan: Toxicological Implications of Skin Lightening Products. Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, 9(2), 79-83. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15
ACS Style
Tigori-Sangare, B.; Tuo-Kouassi, A. N.; Brissy-Ayekoue, D. C.; Kone-Bakayoko, S.; Kaba, M., et al. Voluntary Skin Depigmentation in Abidjan: Toxicological Implications of Skin Lightening Products. Pharm. Sci. Technol. 2025, 9(2), 79-83. doi: 10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15
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Download@article{10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15,
author = {Beatrice Tigori-Sangare and Awa Nakognon Tuo-Kouassi and Dina Colombe Brissy-Ayekoue and Sandia Kone-Bakayoko and Myriam Kaba and Apo Laurette Ingrid Anin},
title = {Voluntary Skin Depigmentation in Abidjan: Toxicological Implications of Skin Lightening Products
},
journal = {Pharmaceutical Science and Technology},
volume = {9},
number = {2},
pages = {79-83},
doi = {10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pst.20250902.15},
abstract = {Voluntary skin depigmentation is a widespread social and cosmetic practice in sub-Saharan Africa. Although motivated by the pursuit of a lighter complexion, it exposes users to numerous dermatological and systemic complications. In Côte d’Ivoire, a survey conducted in Abidjan in 2008 reported a prevalence of 53%. This study aimed to assess voluntary depigmentation practices, the types of products employed, reported adverse effects, and the level of awareness of associated risks among users. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out from January to March 2019 among 150 patients recruited from five private pharmacies in Abidjan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic charac-teristics, motivations, products used, adverse effects, and perception of risks. Results were analyzed using frequency and per-centage distributions. The sample consisted predominantly of women (93%), aged 20-40 years. The main motivation was the desire for a beautiful complexion (78%). The most frequently used substances were corticosteroids (38%) and hydroquinone (33%). 94% of participants were unaware of the exact composition of the products applied. Although 35% vaguely acknowl-edged potential dangers, their overall knowledge of complications remained poor. Twenty-five percent of the study population reported adverse effects voluntary skin. An integrated strategy combining health edu-cation, stricter regulatory measures, and the active involvement of pharmacists is urgently required to mitigate the prevalence and consequences of this practice.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Voluntary Skin Depigmentation in Abidjan: Toxicological Implications of Skin Lightening Products AU - Beatrice Tigori-Sangare AU - Awa Nakognon Tuo-Kouassi AU - Dina Colombe Brissy-Ayekoue AU - Sandia Kone-Bakayoko AU - Myriam Kaba AU - Apo Laurette Ingrid Anin Y1 - 2025/10/31 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15 DO - 10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15 T2 - Pharmaceutical Science and Technology JF - Pharmaceutical Science and Technology JO - Pharmaceutical Science and Technology SP - 79 EP - 83 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2640-4540 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pst.20250902.15 AB - Voluntary skin depigmentation is a widespread social and cosmetic practice in sub-Saharan Africa. Although motivated by the pursuit of a lighter complexion, it exposes users to numerous dermatological and systemic complications. In Côte d’Ivoire, a survey conducted in Abidjan in 2008 reported a prevalence of 53%. This study aimed to assess voluntary depigmentation practices, the types of products employed, reported adverse effects, and the level of awareness of associated risks among users. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out from January to March 2019 among 150 patients recruited from five private pharmacies in Abidjan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic charac-teristics, motivations, products used, adverse effects, and perception of risks. Results were analyzed using frequency and per-centage distributions. The sample consisted predominantly of women (93%), aged 20-40 years. The main motivation was the desire for a beautiful complexion (78%). The most frequently used substances were corticosteroids (38%) and hydroquinone (33%). 94% of participants were unaware of the exact composition of the products applied. Although 35% vaguely acknowl-edged potential dangers, their overall knowledge of complications remained poor. Twenty-five percent of the study population reported adverse effects voluntary skin. An integrated strategy combining health edu-cation, stricter regulatory measures, and the active involvement of pharmacists is urgently required to mitigate the prevalence and consequences of this practice. VL - 9 IS - 2 ER -
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
