Expert Resolutions to Skin Problems Affecting African American Women
May 28, 2010 | Comments 1 | Beauty & Skin Care
A section of people of color from Asian, Latino, black and other races have greater susceptibility to some skin problems due to their heritable constitution and in several situations their cultural practice.
Dark skin has greater innate shielding from the ultraviolet rays due to larger levels of pigment-producing melanin. But, the cells producing melanin have a tendency of getting inflamed and react more to injuries. Hence, pigmentation issues have greater prevalence among individuals of color.
Acne, PIH
Acne appears to be among the most prevalent skin problems affecting Africans. Pigmentation issues (dyschromias) garners second slot in the list of common skin problems.
Skin of color often tends to develop PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), a prevalent type of dyschromia and is augmented pigmentation or darkish patches forming at the inflamed site.
PIH is often triggered due to acne presence and the resultant darkish patches are mostly a bigger concern as compared to the original acne.
Expert Opinion
Skin specialists often obstruct melanin from being produced by employing hydroquinone and several bleach cream types. The pigment is blocked from being transferred to the top skin layers by the use of retinoid cream that is derived from vitamin A. Excessive pigment could be removed from the skin via the use of chemical peel. Sun protection is advised for preventing an augment in melanin being produced and shielding from ultraviolet exposure.
Melasma
Melasma (or mask of gestational period) is so-dubbed since it arises during pregnancy and is the second commonly observed pigmentation condition among individuals of color. It appears as darkish blotches on the upper area of the lips, temples, forehead, cheeks and atypically away from the facial area.
Melasma has been found to be more bias to the female gender and it could develop irrespective of pregnancy being present or not and prevalently noted in individuals in their forties, fifties and sixties. Causal factors are being genetically pre-disposed, hormones and ultraviolet exposure.
Expert Opinion
Melasma treatment is similar to PIH. But, one has to be really cautious with chemical peel as it could increase chances of developing pigmentation issues and in case the chemical peel is done quite deeply then it could cause scars.
Razor Bumps
Razor bumps are commonly observed follicular skin problems affecting an unevenly vast populace of people with dark skin tones. Researches have shown that the skin problem known as pseudofolliculitis barbae afflicts a large number of African men, although even females get affected mostly on the back region, chin or under-chin area.
Expert Opinion
Safety Razors could be of assistance. Also when shave is done solely in the direction of hair growing subsequent to shaving cream application would help prevent this skin problem. Laser treatment could be of assistance but since they are targeting melanin hence could pose a greater risk of skin getting discoloured, blistered, burnt and other associated side-effects in people of color.
A lately conducted research finding indicated that long pulse 1064 Nd YAG laser was linked with the slightest complications among dark-skinned people.
The use of cream, gel type inclusive of topically applied retinoid, antibiotic course, steroid and prescription drug eflornithin could be of assistance.
Learn where you can purchase Makeup Kits.
Popularity: 12% [?]
A matter of fact- five million years ago the human ancestors’ dark hair protected their light skin from the intense African sun so that there was no evolutionary constraint that killed off the progeny of those who had mutations in the MC1R nucleotide sequences that made their skin light.
However, over 1.2 million years ago, judging from the numbers and spread of variations among human and chimpanzee MC1R nucleotide sequences, the human ancestors in Africa began to lose their hair and they came under increasing evolutionary pressures that killed off the progeny of individuals who retained the inherited lightness of skin. Folate breakdown in sun-exposed skin is inhibited by the presence of melanin, and folate is essential for human fetal development. It is likely that folate conservation played an important role in the selection of dark skin in the ancient African ancestors of modern humans.
By 1.2 million years ago, all people having descendants today had exactly the receptor protein of today’s Africans; their skin was dark, and the intense sun killed off the progeny with any lighter skin that resulted from mutational variation in the receptor protein.