Acne in Individuals with Colored Skin

Acne Vulgaris

• It is a common cause of hyperpigmentation
• affects 27-29% of patients
• this includes 50% of adult women

• When comparing acne patients in 4 cities (Los Angeles vs Rome vs Akita vs London) it was found that dyspigmentation and atrophic scarring more common in African Americans and Hispanics than other ethnicities (asian, caucasian)
• 70% of African Americans have papular acne and 50% have hyperpigmented macules. Hispanic patients and Asian patients show similar trends.
• Nodulocystic acne is on the other hand less frequent in african american patients

• Explanation of hyperpigmentation: inflammation is present histologically (when looking at the microscope) in comedones (primary lesions of acne)

• Conclusion: for acne in patients with skin of color: Treat the acne but don’t forget to treat the hyperpigmentation

Bibliography: Woolery Lloyd. Managing Acne and Rosacea in Skin of Color Patients. Skin of color.  70th Annual Meeting of the AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) – San Diego, California, United States of America (USA) 

Source of information: here