Musanze (CNN)Sierra asks to use a pseudonym for fear of being caught by the authorities. The 27-year-old shopkeeper explains that she can't maintain her seven-year skin lightening routine because a ...

Everyone wants to have a bright and smooth skin, because naturally glowing skin is a sign of health and youth. Due to the changes in our climate and lifestyle, our skin’s condition changes over time.

Editor’s note: This story is part of ‘White lies‘, a series by CNN’s As Equals investigating skin whitening practices worldwide to expose the underlying drivers of colorism, the industry that profits ...

Susan Anderson, age 52, sits in the corner of a sunlit waiting room at a dermatology clinic in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Dark patches of skin, dotted with brighter pigments, surround her eyes and ...

Skin whitening is a major industry around the world, including in the U.S., but it is endemic in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. It's rooted in colonial-era beauty standards that see brighter ...