The path to whiteness

As the cliché goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Each of us has our own set of ideas of who and what we consider beautiful. We all have our own role models in the beauty department and I have had quite a number in the different phases of my life.

When I was growing up, the most beautiful woman in my eyes was my mother. She had the most beautiful porcelain-white skin, and if I were to describe her in poetic terms, I would say that she always looked "as fresh as the morning dew." In my eyes, she was the fairest of them all. Her skin was so smooth and unblemished. I often wondered why I was not as beautiful as her and why I had my dusky complexion. Remarks from her well-meaning but tactless friends would further compound my insecurities about my dark skin. Within hearing distance, they would ask my mom, "Why is your daughter morena (the term used for dark skin)? Where did she get her color?"

Considering that my father was also fair and so were the rest of my siblings, having white skin became an obsession with me. However, I soon fell in love with sports, so it was a choice between staying indoors (in the hopes of getting a shade whiter) and leading a sedentary, boring life, or braving the sun outdoors and living a healthy, sports-filled life. Of course I chose the latter, much to the dismay of my porcelain-skinned mother. I took up swimming and golf at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, where Dad would always take us on weekends. My mother would always reprimand me after each swimming and golf session, never mincing her words about how "black" I looked. Ouch! My siblings started to call me "Blackie," which did not deter me from pursuing my outdoor interests.

Hoping against hope that I would stay indoors, after each golf and swimming session she called her beautician to come and bleach me with some kind of bleaching solution. The hair on my arms turned blonde but my skin remained dark, as I continued to do my sports, so it was a futile and an expensive attempt to whiten my skin. Soon she gave up on the idea of "whitening" me and resigned herself to the idea of having one "black" daughter.

Now is the best time, if any, for pursuing her dream of turning me into the white-skinned daughter of her dreams. First of all, I avoid the sun at this point in my life, having been convinced by all the reports that the sun causes skin cancer. And with all the sunblocks and skin-whitening products on the market, there is a chance that one of the myriad products could have an effect on my dark skin. There are the glutathione injections of Dr. Pierre Clero, which are both whitening and anti-aging since glutathione is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, reports say that glutathione was how Michael Jackson got white. (If you’re interested in this procedure, call Dr. Clero for an appointment at 897-4122.)

Then there are the beauty products of different brands, sizes and prices. I just saw the following skin-whitening products in different department stores here and abroad: Carita White, US$102.79 for a medium-size bottle; SK II, $ 152; Anna Sui Whitening Serum Mask, $82.92; Whitening Day Emulsion by Givenchy, $77.74; Whitening Cream by Lierac, $73; and Shiseido UV White Intensive Treatment Essence Mask, $55. These products all claim to help lighten age spots, stop the formation of melanin, improve skin clarity, promote luminous and translucent skin, and whiten the skin as a whole. And they are all very pricey! I found one that costs only $19.95 a jar and it is called X-Treme White. Its active ingredient is two-percent hydroquinone, which is scientifically proven to whiten skin. It has to be ordered via ana@xtremecream.com or fax 001-310-475-4646. Add shipping and handling to the cost as it is shipped out of Los Angeles.

As for me, I will try to surprise my mother by trying a skin-whitening process that holistic center and beauty salon owner Mikaela recently introduced in Manila. Mom will be so happy to finally see my skin getting fair. I am trying the Japanese Platinum White Facial and Body Treatments at the Philosophy Holistic Salon and Spa on Pasay Road. Convinced that the geishas in Japan hold the secret to beautiful white skin, salon owner Mikaela went to Tokyo and studied the art of whitening the skin by using the products that the geishas use. Fascinated by the porcelain-white skin of Japanese women, she is offering a blend of traditional Japanese whitening products with a highly advanced modern-technology facial. The facial takes about 45 minutes and uses a potent skin-whitening formulation from Japan. Using a complex of kojic acid, mulberry extract, young bran rice and licorice extract, as well as antioxidant Vitamin C and lactic acid, the active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin for effective and guaranteed whitening results. To make the experience luxurious and wholly relaxing, the spa implements the traditions and methods of the old Japanese culture. Each facial treatment is done in a private room, with each client serviced by a trained "geisha." For the month of July, Mikaela flew in authentic geishas who trained her beauticians and did actual facials on some contented clients.

The geisha first offers you a cup of relaxing tea before starting the facial. She said I had some sunspots and freckles on my skin, and experts have written that one need not resort to laser surgery to remove them. After two facials with the geisha assigned to me, I noticed my blemishes and sunspots disappear. I will continue with the treatment as I notice my skin already whitening. There is also a package for the whole body. For all those aspiring to be fair-skinned through the Japanese method, call Philosophy at 892-1574.

Who says that "black is beautiful"? With the surge of whitening products in all the cosmetic counters, to be white seems to be everybody’s obsession. Yue Sai Kan, China’s cosmetics queen, told me that her whitening creams are the most saleable items in her range of beauty products. Even the men buy them now.

Philosophy’s PR girl Alessandra Tinio confessed that half of the clients going for the Japanese Platinum Facial are men. For sure it is not just because of the pretty geishas doing the facials.

At long last, white skin can be a reality for many. Perhaps, finally, mom will have her dream come true for me.