"Pretty Hurts": The unregulated war on beauty in Ghana - a sister thinking out loud
"Pretty Hurts": The unregulated war on beauty in Ghana - a sister thinking out loud reveals a striking trend in Accra, Ghana, and other cities like Tamale, Kumasi, and Takoradi: gleaming storefronts and social media adverts promising "perfect curves," "pink skin," "shiny teeth," and "Hollywood smiles' Flat tummies." Experts warn this trend is fueling a surging rate of cancer, kidney disease, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the country (Amoako et al., 2021).
Regulatory oversight is weak, with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana mandated to regulate cosmetic products and the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) licensing health facilities. Enforcement is inconsistent, and many "beauty clinics" operate as salons, exploiting legal loopholes (FDA Ghana, 2020). Untrained individuals administer intravenous infusions, inject skin-lightening agents, and perform invasive procedures without medical training. These practitioners source products containing dangerous levels of mercury, hydroquinone, and corticosteroids from unverified international suppliers (Nkemngong et al., 2022).
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Ghana's beauty industry is experiencing rapid growth with clinics offering various enhancements, yet this expansion is raising significant public
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