Two learners create space for conversation and connection with Somali women on safe skin practices

What began as small group discussions with women at the Somali Community Link around safe skin care practices quickly evolved into a space where women could talk about something that usually isn’t discussed openly — the use of skin-lightening products. 

Through the Columbus-Athens Schweitzer Fellows Program, a service-learning opportunity supporting medical students dedicated to improving the health and lives of Ohioans, Zaynah Awethe and Salma Shire, both in the class of 2027 at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, embarked on an education and outreach project in the local Somali community. When they began, they focused on developing a deeper understanding on the prevalence and use of skin-lightening creams, many of which are unregulated and contain harmful chemicals, by women in the local Somali community.

“We worked with community liaisons to invite participants of different ages to help build understanding and trust early on,”  Awethe and Shire say. “A few of the sessions were held in Somali, and for the others we brought in trained interpreters, so everyone could take part comfortably and have an open discussion.” 

What they soon discovered was that even women who had not used skin-lightening creams themselves were familiar with them, and that many discussions and sales of these products took place over social media. They also discovered that most of the women in the discussion groups had never heard of a dermatologist and that they weren’t sure how they would even bring up skin concerns with a provider, as there were usually other health or family needs to focus on.  

“This gave us a lot to think about, in terms of how and when people feel comfortable talking about certain topics,” the two medical students say. “In our groups, one person’s story would lead to another, and the group would start talking about self-image, social media or things they remembered from growing up.” 

These honest and grounded conversations shaped the tone of the room while confirming that many of the products were bought informally through group chats or recommended by people they trusted. 

“Many would ask about what is actually in skin-lightening creams as product labels weren’t always in Somali or English, or labels were hard to interpret,” they say. “This affirmed that conversations about these products are already happening, and in order to share information that’s helpful, it has to reach people in the spaces they’re already in.” 

Awethe and Shire are now collecting some of the creams being used in the community and partnering with a lab on campus to test them, and plan to then share their findings.   

“We will be looking for ingredients like mercury, hydroquinone, which is a is a key skin-lightening ingredient and corticosteroids and comparing what is actually in the products to what the labels say,” they say.  

This work has the potential to increase awareness of how skin health is shaped by the messages about skin that people grow up with, and how the pressures they carry to look a certain way can influence their decisions.  “We are still learning and want to continue approaching these conversations with care, openness and respect for the Somali women we have been working with,” Awethe and Shire say.