Women of Colour, whatever their origin, understand the challenges we all face & we can refer to the discolorations by various names but what we all know, it can take months or sometimes years to fade.
Our Brown skin is unique, diverse, and above all, beautiful & the beauty of our warm, glowing skin is a gift of nature and comes without having to visit tanning parlours or finding a beach. Because of the greater melanin content in our beautiful brown skin, few will dispute that women of color generally look 10 years younger than many white skinned women. Melanin has many significant assets & large amounts protect the skin from long-term damage associated with ageing-deep wrinkles, rough surface texture and age spots (sometimes referred to as liver spots) especially for women of African descent. We must learn & understand how to maintain our beauty & we need to be aware of the conditions we are most susceptible to developing. We should know what skincare products, medications & cosmetics are most appropriate & those that are not suitable for our beautiful brown skin.
Some of our most common skin problems & conditions are mentioned here: Melasma is a skin pigmentation disorder that results from functional problems with cells that produce and contain the melanin pigment. Medication-Induced Pigmentation in women with brown skin, particularly those of African and Latino descent, are susceptible to hypertension, diabetes and heart disease and consequently take medications for those medical problems. These & other commonly used medications can cause various allergic reactions that frequently lead to hyper pigmentation (dark patches). Vitiligo is a skin disorder that occurs in people of color, it is a cosmetic-induced pigmentation where the cells that produce melanin pigment (melanocytes) are destroyed. The destruction of these cells results in the appearance of white patches on the skin, in the hair, and on mucous membranes (lips and genitals). One of the greatest challenges to women with brown skin who crave, clear, glowing complexions is acne but in addition to the acne, women with brown skin must also face hyper pigmentation; skin darkening in spots or patches, which occurs in response to the acne outbreak.
Acne Rosacea: is not a skin problem typically associated with skin of color but a main feature of Rosacea is redness or erythema of the face. Rosacea does occur in people of color, including African Americans, Latinos and Asians, and is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Individuals with brown skin, including those of African, Asian, & Latino descent are susceptible to Eczema & is indeed one of the most common skin problems, in fact it is felt to be the second most common skin disease in African-Americans. It is unsure if the incidence of eczema increases in Latinos but one study did find that there was a significantly higher percentage of Mexican American adolescents with eczema than white and African American adolescents. A thickening of the skin that occurs in women with brown skin is known as Hyperkeratosis & is due to excessive accumulation of keratin in the outer layers of the skin. Abnormal healing of the skin (Scars -Keloids) occurs frequently in individuals with brown skin. When skin is injured, it may heal with one of several types of scar: normal (level with the surrounding skin), atrophic (depressed), hypertrophic (slightly raised), and keloidal (large and raised). Dandruff or Seborrheic Dermatitis is a common problem for many women with brown skin, with the main problem areas found at the hairline and scalp, the eyebrows, the area between the nose and corners of the mouth (nasolabial folds) and the ears.
People with brown skin often have a false sense of security when it comes to Skin Cancer. Whilst individuals with increased skin pigmentation have added protection against the UV rays of the sun, it is dangerous to assume that our darker skin exempts us from this serious skin problem.
[expert=Sam_Marriott]
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