Black Skin Care
Dark skin or black skin is commonly seen in the natives of Africa, some of the races in Australia, in the African American race in the US, and people from the Caribbean and other islands. These people have a very high amount of melanin in their skin. Melanin is the substance that gives color to the skin so an increased amount of it makes the skin darker. Melanin is responsible for blocking the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays from producing free radicals on the skin surface and harming the outermost layer of cells of the skin. It makes the skin look younger since it slows the effects of aging. It is no wonder that black people always look younger than their white skinned counterpart. But when black people age, they have an irregular pigmentation of their skin, appearing as dark patches on the skin. These dark patches are sometimes too light or too dark, depending on the skin tone. There are still different dark shades. Sometimes, it is also caused by an inflammation or infection. As the area of the skin is inflamed and red from an insect bite, acne, trauma or other causes, it becomes dark brown as the redness and inflammation subsides.
Dark skin is prone to irregular pigmentations and melanomas. In pregnant women, a dark spot often occurs around the neck area, which does not go away unless she gives birth and it is treated with calamine lotion to prevent itchiness. Birth control pills and estrogen hormonal treatment can also be a factor in causing irregular pigmentations by altering hormone content in the body, thus leading to discoloration in the skin.
To be able to treat this type of affliction, you need tretinoin & hydroquinone. Tretinoin & hydroquinone is applied to skin once a day or twice a week depending on your skin's sensitivity and can be applied for several days to weeks and months, depending on the depth of irregular skin pigmentation. Also applying a daily sunscreen helps to prevent more discoloration.
Having black and dark skin is also beautiful especially when the undertones in dark skin are thoroughly understood. The best type of skin care available for all types of skin, may it be black or white is keeping it clean and free from any dirt and harmful deposits.
There are specific products to care for black skin. Taking care of the dark skin of African Americans is very different from the products of Caucasians and Asians. Black skin care products contain heavy oils that are formulated to penetrate the skin deeply and nourish the skin from the inside, but without the oily feeling that you get in using oil based skin products. Oil from the emu has been tested to be one of the highly recommended ingredients in skin care products for black and dark skin.
Due to their ability to not be easily affected by the sun's rays, dark skinned people are prone to staying under the sun for a prolonged period of time. Too much sun is also dangerous to the skin, even for black skin since the heat and the UV rays will bombard the skin into giving in and thus becoming affected by it. The UV rays damage the collagen and elastin molecules in the skin, leading to the sagging and loss of elasticity of the skin. This is seen as having stretch marks, loose skin, and fat deposits around the waist, breasts, stomach, thighs, face and neck area. This is why sunscreen is also suggested to people with dark skin to be able to protect them further from a prolonged exposure to the sun's rays.
Another type of treatment is the application of modified Jessner's solution on the skin. This solution is used to lighten certain areas with hyperpigmentation plus treat aged skin due to damage from the sun through mild skin peeling. Before using this solution, the skin should first be treated with Retin-A or tretinoin for two to three weeks to prepare it. During treatment, it is advised not to sunbathe to avoid sunburn and to avoid places where you can hurt and damage your skin.
For modified Jessners Peels, Retin-A and hydroquinone, please see a physician or a skincare specialist to provide you with the proper treatments and proper skincare products for your skin type.
Ingrown HairsPeople with curly hair have curved hair follicles. Most African American people have curved hair follicles. The majority of Caucasians and virtually all Asians have straight hair follicles that produce straight hairs. Because the hair shafts of people with curly hair are curved, the hairs that emerge from their follicles tend to be tightly coiled. It's true of beard hair as well as other body hair. After shaving, a single curly hair becomes a sharply pointed tip that is aimed toward the body, can grow right back into the skin.
The penetration of sharp hairs causes a misguided reaction by your body's immune system that sees your penetrating hairs as intruders. Your immune system reacts by attacking with white blood cells and thus produces inflammatory papules and pustules that resemble acne.
Some Tips:
Tend Skin works for treating ingrown hairs and razor bumps and can be purchased at most drug stores.
Inspect your beard to look for potential plunging hairs of for hairs that have already taken the plunge. Prime candidates include those that are pointing back toward the skin or those lying flat.
Use a fine needle or toothpick to lift the hair between the follicle and the tip. But be careful. Gently redirect the sharp pointed end of the hair away from your skin.
