Guest Author - Grace D. Dooley

As I researched for this week's article I found information on skin problems especially for women of color. All people, no matter the color or sex, suffers with problem skin and diseases. Every one is susceptible to getting skin diseases and having problem skin. Problem skin exist across the grid of all people.

The more common skin problems are eczema, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, keloid, pseudofolliculitis barbae, melanoma, acne and xerosis- which is extremely dry itchy skin that looks white, ashy, sometimes flaky.

Some diseases and problems are more noticeable among women of color due to their dark to brown skin tone.

Let's start with Hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation occurs with other skin problems such as acne, eczema or psoriasis. Anything that causes damage or scarring to the skin's surface and beneath will be susceptible to hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation is when the skin cell that carries the pigment chemical melanin is damaged. This chemical is responsible for all skin color. The more melanin pigment present in the cell, the darker the skin. This chemical of melanin pigment is the body's natural defense in protecting the skin from the damaging rays of the sun especially in geographical locations where extreme sun and intense heat is the norm.

When these cells are damaged they go into hyperdrive, producing more melanin pigment than is needed. This causes the wound and skin to become darker in appearance. Because the cells reside in the layers of skin, any damage done to the skin that results in a cut, scratch, bug bite, acne or any skin condition that cause the skin to scar can contribute to hyperpigmentation

Vitiligo is another skin disease where pigmentation cells play an important role. This disease seems to be brought on by heredity, mostly. Duress and stress seems to trigger the condition also. There is no cure and how it behaves is still unclear.

Vitiligo is where the skin cells are not producing the pigment any longer. It is usually seen in certain areas of the body, forming white or sometimes pink patches on the skin. The skin is damaged for life in this case. There is no cure, no way to bring back the pigmentation or stop it from spreading.

So, people with this condition should be very careful to protect their skin before spending anytime in the sun. Using sunscreens/sunblocks becomes the necessity for people of color.

Vitiligo can affect only one side of a person’s body but is usually seen as patches on the face, neck, chest and hands. It is only noticed in lighter skin as it tans through the summer. But for women and people of color it is very noticeable. It can be very embarrassing causing psychological dysfunction to a person's self-esteem. Once again check with your dermatologist for proper diagnosis

Keloids are another skin disease that seems to plague mostly women and men of color. Keloids are scars that heal abnormally. They form after an incision of some sort by cutting of the skin or a scalpel.

The scar tissue forms in a raised position instead of being flush with the original incision. The tissue wraps it self around the wound forming thick layers of scar tissues. The layers are usually pinkish or whitish in color. Keloids come with pain, itching, sensitivity, or all of the symptoms, especially when something is rubbing against it. They are hard to cure.

There are options for having keloids treated by a dermatologist. There is no way to stop keloids from forming and is thought to be more hereditary then by race or ethnicity.

Xerosis - Didn't know it had a medical name. Xerosis is extremely itchy, dry skin that is white, ashy and in some case flaky. Many people suffer from this skin condition. This is an environmental condition. It is a condition in direct relevance to how you treat your skin. How you bath, how hot your water is when showering or bathing, what kind of cream or lotions you use and whether or not you are in dry or humid climates, all make a difference in extremely dry skin. If this condition is not treated properly it could lead to other skin conditions such as dermatitis, psoriasis or even eczema. Most of the time winter proves to be an enemy to someone with already extremely dry skin. Moisturizing is important in taming this condition.

We will be taking a closer look at Melanoma in future articles. Melanoma is a skin cancer caused by sun damage and exposure. Again the skin cells play an important role in this cancer as well. Without protection darker skin is vulnerable to the damaging rays of the sun. Ethnic populations with dark skin should use a sunscreen/sunblocker to protect skin from UVA and UVB rays.

Ethnic skin is very delicate. It is not immune to skin diseases and conditions. The melanin pigment carried in the skin cells act as a barrier between the sun and the skin giving it more protection. People of lighter skin color have less of the melanin pigment.

Remember to always check with your dermatologist if you have questions or concerns about your skin conditions. This article is to bring awareness to all ethnic groups to help them protect and take care of their beautiful delicate skin.