Its a universally acknowledged truth that the topic of skincare is more popular than ever. An industry once hyper-focused on pimples and anti-aging has grown to prioritize wellness and become synonymous (and often conflated) with self-care. Once wildly personal, skincare has gone public, often verging on theaterwhether its a faux-casual selfie of someone eating pasta while masking or a highly produced video of a celebrity washing their face and getting dragged for doing it badly. Theres also an abundance of advice offered by experts and enthusiasts, sometimes the two unable to agree (and people having a hard time deciding whos right).

The world of skincare, in its sheet-masking, serum-applying, carefully-documented glory, is often touted as the great unifier for people of all skin tones, skin types and needs. Theres something for everyone, it claims, the inherent invisibility of products allowing the industry to be slow in its focus on inclusivity and avoid the discussion in a way the makeup sector never could.

Skincare remains another site of privilege where Black people continue the fight to be seen and heard.

Skin of color, in its rich variation of tone and slowness to age, is seen as impenetrable and strong, much like the people who possess it. Its a fallacy with complex ties to a system that has historically ignored Black people or purposefully denied them safe, effective care, and still makes it difficult for us to gain knowledge and achieve goals too.

Before the internet, skincare advice came by way of friends, family and magazines. It was in these spaces that one learned how to shrink a blemish, ways to slow down the skin aging process, and which products were necessary for a dewy glow. It was beauty secrets whispered and passed down, lessons learned by watching and copying.

But Black people rarely got to see their unique challenges addressed outside of trusted circles since these narratives were routinely overlooked by print magazines claiming to service everyone. Things changed with the advent of social media, where previously marginalized communities were able to connect in quasi-public spaces about the shared issues they were facing and address the outlets and brands that had been ignoring them all along.

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Melanoma Facts in Skin of Color// : : Malignant melanoma is a skin cancer of melanin producing cells which protect skin from harmful effects of the sun. : People of color are less likely than caucasians to get melanoma but they are much more likely to die from it when they do due to DELAY in DETECTION or ADVANCED DISEASE. : UV radiation remains the major risk factor in melanoma however in POC, it mostly presents in NON-sun exposed places such as the palms, soles, fingernails & toe nails, mouth, genitals & so are often missed. : UV-induced melanomas in POC does still occur given the wide range in shades of complexions, from very fair to very dark. : POC should perform regular monthly head to toe self exams of their skin. Unusual moles, scars, sores, lumps, blemishes or changes in skin texture should be professionally evaluated. : Most importantly, a thorough skin examination including of nails, oral cavity, gums, palms, soles, eyes & genital area should be performed regularly by a dermatologist. : Dark lesions on gums & streaks in nails should be monitored for malignant transformation. : Other risk factors for melanoma in POC include: albinism, burn scars, radiation therapy, trauma, immune suppression and preexisting moles & should be regular evaluated. #melanoma #melanomaawareness #brownskinderm #skininclusive #skinofcolor #slickwoods #skincancer

A post shared by Brown Skin Derm (@brownskinderm) on Nov 22, 2019 at 10:23am PST

Leading the charge are dermatologists, estheticians and enthusiasts, who talk about things like hyperpigmentation, how to identify skin cancer (often caught at a much later stage in Black women) and answer questions that are often still ignored by mainstream media.

If you look at major print magazines before the advent of online beauty blogs, most skincare articles and product advertisements within them did not speak to women of color, says dermatology resident Adeline Kikam, known as the @brownskinderm on social media. Weve just recently started talking about how to care for Black skin and hair on a national level.

These thought leaders with proven influence have shifted the very concept of authority. Whereas outlets and publications were once on the cutting edge, determining the trends and uncovering the next new thing, the roles are now often reversed.

One such influencer is Nayamka Roberts (also known as @LaBeautyologist), a trusted expert in the skincare space, thanks in part to her innovative 60-second rule. But it didnt start out that way. It took a while to find her people, Roberts tells me when we catch up via phone, noting that when she launched her Youtube channel in 2016, no one really cared about skincare or talked about it. Before focusing on skincare, she dabbled in natural hair and food but says the more she spoke about skincare, the more she realized people needed help.

Roberts, who notes she is the only esthetician followed by Barack Obama on Twitter, has nearly 150K followers on the platform, many of whom look to her for guidance about achieving glowy, luminous skin. Her 60-second rulewhich she says is an ideal time frame for allowing the cleansers ingredients to interact with your skin (and for you to interact with yourself), has become so big it often loses attribution. She, like many women of color who have had ideas or disrupted spaces, has seen her concept outsize her, co-opted into mainstream discourse and often leaving her nameless.

And while Roberts acknowledges the ways her work has outgrown her influence, she ultimately wants to educate. I dont really want people to be dependent on brands or even dependent on me, its all about empowering people to know how to take care of themselves, she says.

Dermatologists have also found their way into the movement, using their clinical knowledge to intervene in a space that has often overlooked women of color. Kikam uses her platform as a way to inform and educate, dispelling common myths and sharing products that speak to common concerns for skin of color. I wanted people of color to have a trusted space of evidence-based medicine related to their skin, she says. Since starting her Instagram in 2017, her community has gone global and grown increasingly diverse.

These thought leaders with proven influence have shifted the very concept of authority.

People of color everywhere demand to see themselves reflected in the way skincare is discussed, she explains. Unlike many other platforms her size, Kikam touches on lasers and aesthetics, a space Black people have been historically shut out of or hesitant to discuss due to cultural norms and ideologies that suggest black doesnt crack. Her willingness to shed light on these topics has created a judgment-free zone, where people are able to open up about conditions theyre often too embarrassed or nervous to discuss.

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//Lasers work by using wavelengths of light specific to & well absorbed by target structures in skin termed chromophores (melanin, collagen,hemoglobin, water, DNA or a foreign substance like tattoo ink) to yield a therapeutic outcome w/ minimal damage to surrounding skin. : skin of color' has unique characteristics that pose challenges to laser therapy; increased epidermal melanin, easily altered melanocytes(associated w/ greater post procedure pigment complications) & reactive fibroblast (promotes scarring). : #melanin has a wide absorption spectrum ranging from 2501200 nm, thus all visiblelight & near-infrared dermatologic lasers currently used in dermatology can target melanin. : At issue in SOC is epidermal melanin absorption of laser energy with resultant heat injury leading to hyperpigmentation & scar formation. : The safest wavelengths forSOC are those in the near infrared range; the 800810nm diode & the 1064nm (Nd:YAG) lasers most especially. Their longer wavelengths bypass the topmost epidermal layer of #skin prone to damage. : Longer wave-length lasers allow targeting of deeper structures in the dermis of skin such as hair while sparing the epidermis. : Contrary to popular misconception, lasers can be used in darker skin types albeit more cautiously, selectively & appropriately given greater risks of #hyperpigmentation & #scarring. Top uses of Lasers in SOC: #hairremoval Photo-rejuvenation: fine lines wrinkling, mottled pigmentation, Benign growths such as #dermatosispapulosanigra Skin tightening Pseudo-folliculitis #tattoo removal #acnescars Stretch Marks

A post shared by Brown Skin Derm (@brownskinderm) on Dec 5, 2019 at 3:58pm PST

Shes also one of few dermatologists to discuss the long term effects of skin bleaching and conditions like hidradenitis suppurativa, an autoinflammatory condition that disproportionately affects Black women and results in painful lumps and discharge in areas like the groin and armpit. By being able to articulate her symptoms better to her primary care doctor and bringing up the possibility that she may have HS based on what she had seen on my page, she was able to convince her primary care doctor to refer her to a dermatologist, she shared.

Kikam says this happens often and while shes happy to be part of pushing the conversation, shes cautious of her role in a highly commercialized space. I think the information on skincare needs to be accessible and affordable across all classes and not come off as elitist and exploitative.

True inclusivity is specific and meets people where theyre at rather than demanding it happen the other way around.

Its this work that pushes the conversation forward, but the skincare industry still has a long way to go. True inclusivity is specific and meets people where theyre at rather than demanding it happen the other way around. Brands and publications could take a page from Kikam and Robertss books, and use their platforms to center and consider these skincare concerns rather than add them in later or pretend they dont exist.

We need education in both the clinical and social spaces, where people of color are foregrounded and given the same attention as their white counterparts. Until then, skincare remains another site of privilege where Black people continue the fight to be seen and heard.

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Black Skin Care Influencers Are Leading the Social Skincare Movement - STYLECASTER