Skin of Color

People with pigmented skin (“skin of color”) are a diverse population of ethnic and racial backgrounds, including African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, Asians, Native Indians, and Pacific Islanders, as well as individuals of multi-racial descent. People in these groups often face many misconceptions about the causes and treatments of their skin conditions. Finding accurate information can be a real challenge, and people may spend considerable financial resources on ineffective therapies that are more rooted in mythology than in evidence-based medicine.

Skin of color is special in many ways. For example, certain skin care products and treatments work best for specific skin colors and hair types, and others do not work well at all. Likewise, the actual appearance of certain skin conditions may differ by skin type, making the diagnostic process more challenging to people unfamiliar with skin of color. Even the safety of certain dermatologic procedures varies across skin types. For these reasons, it is important to seek a dermatologist with specific knowledge of “skin of color” so that safe and effective alternatives can be utilized.

Your St. Luke’s board certified dermatologist is dedicated to serving all individuals with skin of color. St. Luke’s Dermatology has partnered with local and regional health care providers, professional medical organizations, and community groups to promote awareness of this important topic.

Conditions related to skin of color that your St. Luke’s dermatologist may treat include: