Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Ethnic Hair & Skin: What is the State of the ScienceEthnic skin disorders overview☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
Acne
One of the most common problems seen by dermatologists in ethnic skin is acne. A study performed by Halder et al concerning acne in darker skin showed a high degree of histologic inflammation in lesions that did not show significant clinical inflammation.5 The study indicated that acne vulgaris in darker skin is different clinically and histopathologically from that in Caucasian skin. These differences may explain why acne in darker skin results frequently in postinflammatory hyperpigmented
Pigmentary disorders
Pigmentary disorders are another important group of conditions that are extremely common in blacks, Hispanics, and Asians (Table I). These disorders can be psychologically distressing because of their visible nature.12 Two very common pigmentary disorders are postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.
Multiple inflammatory diseases, especially of the papulosquamous and vesiculobullous type, can cause postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. The actual pathogeneses
Photoaging
Although photoaging is not as prevalent in Caucasian skin, it concerns some patients of darker skin color. The effects of photoaging include sunburn, accelerated aging, actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. UVA and UVB are most damaging to the skin. Because melanin affords some protection against photodamage, photoaging occurs primarily in fairer-skinned blacks, compared with darker-skinned blacks. Photoaging manifests later in life, usually in the fifth to sixth
Cultural practices
Because it is not within the scope of this review article to discuss many of the dermatoses that often present in ethnic populations, some of the dermatoses more commonly seen in specific ethnic groups are listed in Table I.
Several cultural practices in members of ethnic groups can be associated with skin lesions or skin disease listed in Table II.
Black Hispanic Asian Pomade acne Chile pepper burns Coin rubbing
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Azelaic acid. A review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in acne and hyperpigmentary skin disorders
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The treatment of melasma. 20% azelaic acid versus 4% hydroquinone cream
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Lack of coverage for first-line treatments of pigmentary disorders in contrast to treatments of acne and rosacea: A survey of public and private insurers in California
2023, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyEthics of documenting patient's race and ethnicity in dermatology clinical notes and presentations
2023, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyTranscriptome Analysis Reveals Intrinsic Proinflammatory Signaling in Healthy African American Skin
2022, Journal of Investigative Dermatology
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Funding sources: Howard University Department of Dermatology was the recipient of a fellowship grant from The L'Oréal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research.
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Conflict of interest: None identified.
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Reprint requests: Rebat M. Halder, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology, Howard University, 2041 Georgia Avenue, Washington, DC 20060.
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0190-9622/2003/$30.00 + 0