I was recently scrolling through TikTok when I came across a video of a young lady singing the praises of The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% serum and its effectiveness in combatting oily skin and dark spots. I believe it's safe to say that the majority of the comments on that video very much agreed with the creator's sentiment as words like "amazing", "sooo good", and "blessing" appeared on my screen. However, among the hay, I managed to find the needle- a very important needle for those with more melanin in their skin: "bad for POC".
This got me thinking.
While TikTok is a wonderful (and questionably accurate) source of information, I decided to personally investigate why our melanated skin is so different and what products work- at least in my case.
Time for Class!
Melanin is usually found in the outer layer of our skin: the epidermis. It is a large group of molecules that perform different functions such as pigmenting our skin and hair as well as providing a photoprotective shield for the skin and eyes. In a scientific report investigating how cutaneous(skin or skin-related) pigmentation modulates skin sensitivity, researchers found that darker-skinned people were more sensitive to heat than lighter-skinned people. Because people with lighter or less melanated skin differ from us so much at the cellular and molecular level, it only makes sense that certain chemicals or skincare ingredients would affect our body's differently- at least on the [epi]dermal layer.
My Skin
For most of my life, I've had acne, or at least, some kind of skin condition. I tried many products, store-bought and homemade, but nothing seemed to work. About 2 years ago, a light shined on me as I found a Youtube video by Hyram (I love his channel) explaining fungal acne and its differences from "normal acne". Now, I'm not officially diagnosed by a dermatologist for fungal acne, but once I began going about my skincare routine with this "diagnosis" in mind, my skin began glowing.
Fungal Acne, also called Malassezia (Pityrosporum) Folliculitis, isn't really acne. Yes, I know: bumps on the face = acne. However, it is actually an overgrowth of yeast in the hair follicles, unlike acne's bacterial properties. I guess that explains why an army of little bumps conquered my sideburns. Yes, I am a girl, and yes, I have hair on the sides of my face. Most people do- what about it? Returning to my point, fungal acne is often mistaken for regular acne and their approaches for treatment differ greatly.
As a black girl, dark-skin especially, it can be difficult to compare and analyze what is wrong with your body when most of your references are white or lighter-skinned. The very textbooks and learning materials available in certain medical and nursing schools rarely contain images of dark skin. So if you're curious, please search up "fungal acne black skin" on google or YouTube. Adding "black skin" to the end of your searches will save a great amount of time.
What Products Work for Me
Initially, after figuring out that I most likely had fungal acne, I only did a nighttime routine of washing my face followed by a face mask. No moisturizer. Yes, that was a bad idea, but I was so afraid of using a moisturizer that would break me out! Anyways, besides my skin being horribly dry, the cleanser and mask were doing wonders for my skin. I remember a time when I rested my head on my hand and couldn't believe how smooth it felt. My face felt like foreign skin. The dryness was an issue that I could have easily resolved with a good moisturizer.
Cleanser: Tropical Naturals Dudu-Osun Black Soap
This natural soap helped clear up those annoying little bumps and always had my skin feeling clean and fresh. This is also used by many Africans which is kind of a green light for my melanin-rich friends (in the most general sense).
p.s. This soap is not only limited to fungal acne. She's versatile.
Face Mask: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
This may seem weird, but this shampoo contains a very beneficial ingredient for combating fungal acne: ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is an antifungal, and considering that yeast is a type of fungus, the two cancel each other out. Remember that this is what worked for me. :)
Moisturizer: Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream
I found a moisturizer. See, I'm all grown up! I spent a lot of time researching dozens- literally dozens- of creams and gels to ensure that my hard work [cleansing and masking and such] wouldn't go to waste. I've been using this oil-free gel cream for about two months, and it makes my face feel so healthy and soft. I love it.
The Point Is...
On my skincare journey, I had to jump the "Do I really have acne?" hurdle and the "My skin color affects my skincare too!?" hurdle. (The latter being one that many people don't have to jump or even know exists). I just hope that by sharing my experience with skincare, I can help other black girls jump a bit higher or get rid of these hurdles altogether.
This is for you, my black damsels.
Signed,
a black damsel
Sources!! (are important)
Ono, Kentaro et al. “Cutaneous pigmentation modulates skin sensitivity via tyrosinase-dependent dopaminergic signalling.” Scientific reports vol. 7,1 9181. 23 Aug. 2017, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09682-4
Images Citations
( all my own photos :) )
Disclaimer: I am not a scientist or expert in dermatology. This is just what I've learned and my experience with skincare.
Comments
Post a Comment