1. Tanning beds are generally safer than UV rays from the sun

FALSE. Tanning beds have the same harmful UV rays as the sun and in much greater amounts. Using tanning beds increases your risk of skin cancer, including the deadliest form, melanoma.

1. Individuals who tan easily and rarely burn do not get skin cancer

FALSE. There is no such thing as a “healthy” tan. Any change to your natural skin color is a sign of skin damage, and tanning greatly increases your risk of developing skin cancer. When skin is exposed to UV radiation, it increases the production of melanin in an attempt to protect the skin from further damage. Over time this leads to skin cancer and premature aging.

1. Dark-skinned people are not at risk for sun damage and skin cancer.

FALSE. Naturally, dark-skinned individuals have a lower risk of skin cancer than fair-skinned people. It is still recommended that they take precautions and protect their skin and eyes from overexposure to the sun as they can still develop skin cancers and UV damage.

1. Only older people get skin cancer

FALSE. Prevention counts at all ages! Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults ages 25-29, and the second most common form of cancer in individuals 15-29 years old. One of the biggest factors when it comes to skin cancer is your exposure to UV over the course of your lifetime, including your childhood years into young adulthood.  For this reason, monthly skin checks are so important to look for changes in size, shape, or color of spots on your skin or sores that do not heal. Pay extra careful attention to moles, especially flat, dark ones.

1. You need sun exposure to get vitamin D

FALSE. Individuals get enough of this essential nutrient from your diet and typical daily exposure. It does not require baking in the sun and increase your risk of skin cancer from excessive exposure.

1. Only sun exposure causes skin cancer

FALSE. Sun exposure is the primary cause, but other causes may include UV exposure from tanning beds/occupational equipment, family history of skin cancer and other genetic factors, increasing age, and a weakened immune system.

If you have any questions or concerns about any odd or noticeable spot on your skin, please don’t hesitate to give us a call!

Village Dermatology

We have more information about skin cancer below:

How to check yourself for skin cancer 

The post 6 Myths About Skin Cancer appeared first on Village Dermatology.

Most individuals don’t know that one out of every five people will be diagnosed with skin cancer during their lifetime?  Fortunately, the majority of cases are curable if they are diagnosed and treated early, which makes early detection crucial. What can you do?  First, see your dermatologist annually for a full-body exam.  If you are someone that is at a higher risk, more frequent exams may be recommended.  Monthly self-skin exams at home are just as important.  Look for any spots that are new (Hey, what’s that?), changing (your spots shouldn’t change) or unusual (one of these things is not like the others) and if you find any of the following, get it evaluated by your dermatologist as soon as possible.

You may be asking what is a self-exam, and how do I perform one at home?  In a well- lit room using a full-length mirror and handheld mirror, start with your scalp and work your way down.  Starting with the scalp, have a friend or family member flip through every section of the scalp.  For those with thick or curly hair, a hairdryer may be helpful so the scalp can be adequately examined.  Moving down on to the face, inspect your nose, lips, mouth, and ears – don’t forget the back of your ears.  Check hands front and back and between fingers and under nails (remove nail polish).  Continue up the arms front and back using your full-length mirror for those hard to see areas.  Check elbows up to underarms, yes things can hide out here too!  Next, check your neck and work your way down to the chest and torso.  For females, make sure to check the underside of the breasts. Using your full-length mirror and handheld check back of the neck, shoulders, upper back, and backs of arms.  Scan lower back, buttock, and backs of legs. Use your handheld mirror to check around the genitalia and groin. Sitting down, examine the front of the legs and finish with ankles and feet, including soles and between the toes.  Make sure to check toenails (again, make sure polish is removed).

A great campaign developed by the Skin Cancer Organization is called “The Big See.”  The goal of this campaign aims to inspire individuals to get to know their skin.  Furthermore, it encourages you to look in the mirror and keep these three words in mind: New, Changing, or Unusual. Check it out here https://thebigsee.org

The American Academy of Dermatology also has some great resources on their website on how to SPOT skin cancer.  Check out the link listed before for more information on what to look for and how to perform a skin self-exam.

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/how-to-spot-skin-cancer

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/find/check-skin

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The History of Telemedicine

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It could be seen as something new, strange, or unfamiliar to a generation of medical professionals; however, telemedicine has been in existence since the 18th century. Some doctors still find this concept strange, which is partly why the adoption of telemedicine technology in recent years has been quite slow (until recently with the COVID-19 situation).

The methods of communication and, more specifically, telemedicine, have gradually evolved and improved over time from the initial invention of the electrical telegraph and, later, the telephone.

During the U.S Civil War, the telegraph was used for ordering medical supplies and also to notify family members about deaths or injuries on the battlefield. There is evidence that it was also used to communicate medical conditions and medical care from long distances.  It is important to note that before the invention of the telegraph and the telephone, communication inventions did not necessarily improve the practice of telemedicine. The popular long-distance medium of communication before these inventions was the mail.  As you might imagine, the use of mail to engage in any useful form of medical care was very difficult.

So, what is telemedicine? How did it start and its use over the years? What is its relevance to the health industry? Let’s dig into the facts.

Telemedicine – The Beginning

Telemedicine basically provided the tools for connectivity between people whereby recipients of care and their providers were unable to physically be in the same place at a time.

This idea of communicating with someone not physically present primarily started when ancient societies wanted to establish important communication between the settlements who were faced with internal and external threats.  So, inventions like smoke signals, drums, and horns were developed as a means of alerting someone at a distant location about developing information.  From these very humble beginnings, we can see the rise of telemedicine follow the rise of technology very closely.  This subsequently invented the establishment of clinical connectivity that now exists between patients and their health care provider(s).

Surprisingly telemedicine is not something that started to gain popularity in the technology age. For example, in 1924, the newspaper called Radio News had a black and white cover of a doctor conducting a patient assessment through a radio transmission.  That picture is here on this blog.  This was foreshadowing of what was going to happen over the next 100 years.

It wasn’t long before the medical field started to use the technology offered to them to better care for their patient.  For example, according to the medical literature, the first radiologic images were sent by physicians via telephone in 1948, which spanned 24 miles in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Some of the early use of telemedicine devices consisted of:

• Transmitting EKG rhythms from remote locations to a hospital via the use of voice radio channels
• The use of interactive television microwave link to transmit clinical data
• Using a coaxial cable to transmit fluoroscopic images
• Remote transmissions of EKG and X-ray data

Telemedicine in modern healthcare

Following on from when telemedicine first started, the past fifty years has seen it move into more mainstream use. Kaiser Permanente hospital announced in 2016 that they had seen patients via virtual telemedicine applications more than they have through the traditional in-person visits.

Prior to that, Kaiser Permanente hospital in 2014 to 2015 made use of telemedicine technology by:

• Viewing 37 million tests online
• Sending 20 million emails
• Scheduling over 4 million patient appointments
• Processing more than 17 million patient prescriptions

Although the telemedicine devices used presently might seem similar to those used in ancient times, modern health technology has improved this equipment to become smaller in size but greater in its range of features.

Devices such as fitness wristbands, heart rate monitor wearables are some examples of the modern-day health tools that are used to track patient’s vital data in real-time.

Popular amongst physicians are smart glasses and smartwatches, which in the long run, will become useful in relieving some of the tedious workloads of these doctors. For instance, some medical students at Stanford medical school have founded a digital health start-up that makes use of Google Glass to automatically transcribe medical records while performing patient examinations.

All these concepts and more are just evidence that with the combination of technology, there is more in place for telemedicine than its humble beginnings year ago.

There are still lots of uncharted territory and possibilities in the telemedicine industry that have not yet been explored by both private and government-owned research firms. However, given the explosion of this type of medical care recently, one can only imagine that more firms are going to start investing in this sector.  We here at Village Dermatology have always leaned into technology and welcomed any advances in technology that make our job of serving patients easier and more effective.

Currently, we are conducting patient visits virtually and will continue to do so even after this current situation calms down.  If you would like to have a virtual dermatology visit with any of our providers, then please call us or fill out the form on this page.

Stay Healthy!

Village Dermatology

For more information about Telemedicine check out our other blog entitled \”What is telemedicine?\”

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In clear terms, telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology to provide education remotely as well as provision of health care services. This also means using said technologies to provide remote clinical services to patients in need of one.

The use of medical imaging like x-ray, medical diagnosis & evaluations including specialist consultations via video consultations are all examples of how telemedicine operates.  Telemedicine is sometimes confused for telehealth, while most times, it is used interchangeably because both represent similar services. Telehealth is a broad term that simply means the dispersion of all health services via telecommunications technology. This usually involves non-clinical services such as administrative meetings, provider training, or explaining medical education.

Telemedicine was first created to basically provide health services to patients based in remote locations, far away from healthcare services or locations where there are limited medical professionals. The success of this method has seen telemedicine explode during this recent COVID-19 public health issue, and we have embraced this platform here at Village Dermatology.

Why Telemedicine?

The answer is simple – In the recent past, both medical professionals and healthcare recipients want to spend less time gaining access to adequate health services.  However, during the COVID-19 pandemic delivering high-level medical services remotely has been perfectly tailored to the CDC recommendations of social distancing and self-quarantine.

In recent years, the rise of telemedicine today is largely due to the factor that people are always on the move and want things done immediately. Moreover, the lack of excess medical professionals available to cater to the health needs of the ever-growing population has also contributed to the rapid increase in the establishment of several telemedicine companies.

Currently, telemedicine has aided our ability to see patients for specific dermatology conditions and offer them the medical support they need at this point in time.  Furthermore, most medical practices have been pushing telemedicine off for years, and now everyone has been forced to use to this technology to treat patients accordingly.  We here at Village Dermatology have always leaned into technology, and we will continue to offer telemedicine visits after we get through this situation.

Some experts say that telemedicine has the possibility of offering 24/7 access to medical services with the assistance of an on-call medical staff employed by the company. Some of these telemedicine companies provide extra clinical staff and specialists to hospitals and large health centers to assist with special cases.  The full story of telemedicine has yet to be written as we all begin dealing with the effects of COVID-19.  However, we are thankful that we are in a position to use these resources appropriately to treat our patients.

What Are The Benefits Of Telemedicine?

Telemedicine has proved itself as an essential aspect of mainstream telehealth. When used right, it is useful for the wider health community as a legitimate form of patient care especially through secure technology.

Here are other advantages of using telemedicine:

• It helps to reduce the burden of having to travel and take time off work for medical appointments especially in situations where there are no clinicians nearby for those that live in rural locations.
• For overloaded clinicians, telemedicine serves as a means to still be able to provide the care even when physical limitations (building, parking, scheduling, etc.) are stretched beyond capacity.
• With the advent of high tech telehealth devices, it is easy to get vital clinical data of patients with critical health challenges such as chronically ill cardiac patients, diabetics or even the elderly populations
• In the event of a public health pandemic (like COVID-19) whereby physical contacts are not allowed, telemedicine is the perfect option to still be able to keep in touch with patients and provide useful health services/advice with the use of technology.
• It saves you money, considering there are fewer ER visits or trips to the doctors, plus fewer missed appointments and cancellations.

Limitations to Using Telemedicine

As is the same with all technological devices, there are some limitations on what telemedicine can be applied to. While telemedicine clearly has its huge benefits as seen above, there are some cons to it that should be put into consideration.

• For some medical conditions, even some dermatology conditions, it is impossible to provide effective health services for them, and you would need to arrange to be seen in person by your medical providers.
  • Maybe technology will continue to develop in this space, but there are some limiting factors that will prevent all medical interactions from being completed remotely. It is always best to trust your medical professional’s advice when they want to see you in person.
• The use of telemedicine could, in the long run, reduce in-person interactions with doctors.

The effects of this would mean physical examinations may become a thing of the past by which it is necessary to make a full diagnosis. Also, dangers such as physical domestic violence may go unnoticed and lead to further health challenges.

Telemedicine Summary

Given the unique situation COVID-19 has put the world in at this time we are all trying to adjust to new realities.  We are thankful that we can still continue to deliver dermatology care to our patients in an effective manner during this fluid time.  We will continue to use technology to deliver the best medical care we can without compromising patient care.  Therefore, please understand that some medical conditions simply cannot be diagnosed or treated remotely and we will discuss options of dealing with those situations when you contact our office.

Finally, please stay safe out there and remember to practice social distancing and wash your hands!  We will get through this!

Village Dermatology

The post Telemedicine appeared first on Village Dermatology.

As more of us are spending time at home, it\’s important to keep taking care of ourselves! Indulge in a spa day at home to keep you relaxed and refreshed with these self-care essentials from our Skin for Life Boutique. To respect social distancing, we are offering curbside pickup and free shipping on all online orders. Click here to shop online.

1. Babyfoot Peel $29 – If you struggle with dry, cracked feet, now is the perfect time to try Babyfoot in the comfort of your own home! This innovative peel treatment uses 16 natural extracts that are scientifically formulated to exfoliate and moisturize your feet at the same time.

How to use: Wear the plastic booties with the solution for one hour and the peel will go to work! Your dry, cracked skin will begin to peel away in 3-7 days to reveal beautiful, soft feet. Shop Babyfoot here with free shipping.

2. SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque $55 – There’s nothing a good face mask can’t fix! This decongesting clay masque uses natural clays and botanicals to unclog pores, remove impurities and balance oil production. Plant extracts and minerals calm, soothe and nourish skin as a fruit acid blend sloughs away dead, dull skin cells.

How to use: After cleansing and toning, apply a thin layer to the face, neck, and chest avoiding the eye and lip area. Set for 10-15 minutes (will not dry hard). Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Use once weekly to help remove buildup of exfoliated skin or twice weekly for congested skin. Shop for Clarifying Clay Masque in-store. Call 205.877.9735 for curbside pickup or free delivery within 5-mile radius.

3. Patchcouli’s Butter Scrub Bar $13 each – Transport to a spa with this staff favorite for exfoliated + glowing skin! These Butter Scrub Bars leave your skin exfoliated, silky soft and covered in your favorite scent.  Formulated using only the highest quality sea salt and shea butter and handmade in Rosemary Beach.

How to use:  At the end of shower or bath, gently massage over body, then rinse and pat dry. Tub or shower may become slippery. Keep bar from sitting in water. For body only. Will melt when exposed to heat. Scrub bars are available in-store only. Call 205.877.9735 for curbside pickup or free delivery within 5-mile radius.

4. Trish Candle $58 – Make your work from home routine a little easier with a candle! Instantly set the mood and lift your spirits with the irresistibly warm, uplifting scent of Trish McEvoy\’s signature Wild Blueberry Vanilla Scented Candle. Trish McEvoy is available in-store only. Call 205.877.9735 for curbside pickup or free delivery within 5-mile radius.

5. Trish McEvoy Dry Sheet Mask $29 – This dry sheet mask will give you an instantly luminous, moisture-packed glow that lasts throughout your day. In just 15 minutes, this reusable mask leaves skin dramatically hydrated, plumped and smoothed for a lifted look and soft, cushiony feel.

How to use: Place the nude side of the mask onto your clean, dry face. Pull tight, hooking the top then the bottom loops over your ears. Gently press to activate. Wear for at least 15 minutes and follow with skincare (do not rinse). Each mask can be used three times. Following removal, refold and reseal it in the original package. Store at room temperature away from heat or light. Trish McEvoy is available in-store only. Call 205.877.9735 for curbside pickup or free delivery within 5-mile radius.

6. Epionce Restorative Hand Cream $20 – Make sure your hands stay moisturized with increased handwashing. This quick-absorbing, non-greasy hydrating cream helps reverse the visible appearance of imperfections and signs of skin aging on the hands. Shop for Restorative Hand Cream in-store. Call 205.877.9735 for curbside pickup or free delivery within 5-mile radius.

7. SkinMedica Instant Bright Eye Cream $88 – Key ingredients from Lytera 2.0, HA5, plus other advanced ingredients create this new comprehensive eye treatment from SkinMedica! Instant Bright re-energizes and rejuvenates eyes to help look brighter and more youthful while working over time to continue reducing the visible signs of aging.

How to use: Apply a thin layer adjacent to and beneath the eye area and eyelids twice daily. Add on the Instant Bright Eye Masks for the ultimate boost and enhanced results.  Shop Instant Bright here with free shipping.

For additional questions, call our LABL Studio at 205.877.9735 or take advantage of our Text Retail Service. Stay safe!

The post 7 Self-Care Essentials for Staying at Home appeared first on Village Dermatology.

Wash your hands!  However, there can be some issues for people as they correctly follow CDC guidelines.

COVID-19 has everyone washing and sanitizing their hands more frequently than usual. The CDC has recommended frequent hand washing and sanitizing to prevent the spread of this virus. The global pandemic has resulted in a shortage of hand soap and hand sanitizer. There are even YouTube and Facebook videos on how to make your own hand sanitizer from rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel.

Unfortunately, more frequent hand cleaning can lead to hand dermatitis (irritated skin on the hands). Some of the symptoms are red, scaly, flaky, and itchy skin on the hands. In severe cases, the skin on the hands might crack and bleed.

Keep washing and sanitizing your hands, but here are 7 suggestions to prevent and treat hand dermatitis:

1. Use lukewarm (not hot) water and soap to wash your hands. Follow CDC guidelines and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
2. Avoid scented soaps if possible.
3. Hand sanitizer is more damaging to your skin than soap/water cleansing. The homemade versions are likely to be the most damaging to the skin barrier.
4. Use a bland lotion or moisturizer (Cetaphil, Cerave, Vanicream) to moisturize your hands after you wash.
5. At bedtime, moisturize with an ointment moisturizer (Vaseline, Vaniply, Aquafor Healing ointment). Absorption will be maximized if you cover your hands with cotton gloves or clean white socks. This will increase the temperature of your hands slightly, and the pores will open to better absorb the moisture.
6. If your hands continue to worsen, you can mix over-the-counter cortisone cream with ointment at night.
7. If your hands crack or bleed, please call our office at 205.877.9773. We offer telemedicine, virtual visits. You may need an antibiotic or stronger cortisone cream.

We offer several topical products that we recommend for use during this time for those of you that are suffering from hand dermatitis at this time.  Some of our favorite products include Alastin Balm, Epionce Medical Barrier Cream, Vanicream, and CeraVe.

If you need to purchase any of these products please call our office or visit our online store to purchase them directly from us.

As always, stay safe out there and wash your hands!

Wendy Cantrell, DNP, CRNP, and the Village Dermatology Team

The post 7 Ways to Prevent Hand Dermatitis During COVID-19 appeared first on Village Dermatology.

Eczema is a common name for a group of conditions that cause the skin to become red, itchy, and inflamed. Included under the name eczema are several different types of this condition, such as atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema, nummular dermatitis.

Question 1:  How many Americans are affected by eczema?

It is estimated that over 30 million Americans have some type of eczema.

Question 2:  What are the symptoms of eczema?

Individuals with eczema typically experience some degree of itching ranging from mild to severe. Other symptoms that vary person to person may include dry/sensitive skin, red and inflamed skin, dark-colored patches of skin, oozing or crusting, and swelling.

Question 3:  Is it worse in the wintertime? This question may be redundant based on other answers.

Some people find that their eczema flare-ups occur more frequently or get worse in the winter. Dry air combined with indoor heating systems is more likely to dry out the skin. Flareups can also be caused by wearing too many layers of clothing, taking hot baths, and using too many bed coverings. These are all things people are more likely to do during the winter months.

Question 4:  What is the treatment for eczema?

The cornerstone of eczema treatment is the daily practice of good skincare: bathing, moisturizing, using OTC and prescription medications as prescribed and avoidance of triggers. Prescription treatments may include skin creams, light therapy, and in severe cases, there are systemic agents that may be used.  Moreover, many pharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in research for better treatment options.  In fact, there is currently a new injectable medication to treat moderate to severe eczema.

Question 5:  What are the most common triggers for eczema?

Commons triggers include everyday irritants such as metals, soaps, and cleaners, fabrics, antibiotic ointments; physical triggers such as stress, skin germs, sweat, long/hot baths or showers; climate such as change in season, hot weather, cold/dry weather, high or low humidity; airborne allergens such as pet dander, pollen, mold, dust mites, and second-hand smoke.

Question 6:  Will my eczema ever go away?

Eczema is a chronic condition, but more often than not, kids tend to outgrow as they get older. However, others may continue to have flares that continue into adulthood. Even adults can develop eczema even if they didn’t have it as a child. At this time, there is no cure for eczema, but it is a condition that can be treated and better controlled.

Question 7:  Is eczema dangerous if untreated?

Currently, there is a lot of research on this subject.  To give you an analogy, years ago, we would have said that psoriasis was not “dangerous,” but the more we learn about that disease state we know that because of the high levels of inflammation in the body it can lead to a host of other issues outside of just being classified as a skin disease.  So the honest answer to the is question is we don’t know, and we are learning more about eczema every day.

Conclusion

Eczema can be a frustrating condition to deal with if not controlled correctly.  Partnering with an expert dermatology healthcare provider can ensure you are getting the best treatment options for your eczema.  As always, our team here at Village Dermatology is ready to help you manage any skin condition more effectively.  We have highly qualified dermatology providers and use the latest technology and information to treat our patients.

Live a beautiful life

More blogs and information about Eczema:

What is Eczema?

The post Eczema – 7 Questions and Answers appeared first on Village Dermatology.

Number 1 reason you need a Hydrafacial

The number one reason that you want a HydraFacial is it going to cleanse your skin. The Hydrafacial Machine uses its amazing patented suction handpiece to whisk away all the build of dirt you have on your skin. During the day, your face is assaulted with dirt, bacteria, pollution, viruses, and other non-mentionable things. This step is essential as we bathe your skin with the amazing solutions the Hydrafacial has for prepping you for the next step, which is exfoliation. Your face will be amazingly clean after your Hydrafacial.

Number 2 reason you need a Hydrafacial

Exfoliation is vital in a Hydrafacial Treatment. Exfoliation aims to remove dead skin cells and other build-ups that cleansing cannot remove. This serves several essential factors. First, this allows the solutions we are going to apply to your face to absorb into the skin and work better. Second, it allows better circulation within the skin, and lastly, the exfoliation will help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. So, whether you come in with a little bit of pigment or your skin is dehydrated, we are going to exfoliate your skin for the best possible results.

Number 3 reason you need a Hydrafacial

A light chemical peel. This is where we can customize the treatment by determining what strength of peel to use. This is determined by your home regimen, age and skin type. This superficial glycolic/salicylic chemical peel is not going to make you flake or peel, but it is going to help to give you that great red carpet glow.

Number 4 reason you need a Hydrafacial

This is everybody\’s favorite! Extractions! We are going to bump up the suction on the patented Hydrafacial suction handpiece and clean out those pores, especially on your nose. Clogged pores and blackheads beware! This is great for guys, by the way. Mainly because they don\’t have makeup, so they can\’t cover it up as women can. So, there you go. Extractions, Number four!

Number 5 reason you need a Hydrafacial

And, finally, we end with a leave-on treatment. The end of a Hydrafacial Treatment is capped off by putting a great solution on your face and let your skin drink it in. This solution has peptides, antioxidants, and vitamins that you can take advantage of all day long as your skin soaks in all that “good stuff.” Moreover, you are going to actually get the “good stuff” in your skin because we have already exfoliated your skin in Number 2, so everything is going to go to work, and it is going to leave you with a beautiful glow. Most of us in the skincare business like to call it dewy. So, you\’ll have dewy skin.

Conclusion – Top 5 reasons you need a Hydrafacial

HydraFacial. We love this treatment because you have great results for days. So if you have a big event coming up or you simply want to maintain the health of your skin, consider this fantastic treatment! Also, try coupling this with the dermaplaning treatment for even longer-lasting results.

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Many individuals choose to use non-invasive procedures to enhance or correct some part of their body or appearance. According to the ASPS, there were almost 16 million minimally invasive procedures in the US in 2018.

The number is increasing every year because the availability of these procedures is growing at an exponential rate, which is great. However, you need to understand the importance of your skin type and how it relates to some of these procedures, especially laser treatments. There are certain factors that are required to be considered before undergoing a laser procedure that you and your provider must be aware of before proceeding with any type of laser treatment.

What is your skin type?

Typically, you would have heard three skin types, oily, sensitive, and dry. But these are not the actual skin types. When a medical dermatology professional assesses your skin, they use a classification called the Fitzpatrick scale of skin. The Fitzpatrick scale was developed by an American dermatologist named Thomas Fitzpatrick, and if you are planning a laser treatment, it is essential to know the skin type you have.

What is behind the color of the skin?

Typically, one\’s skin color is derived genetically through their parents. Children with fair parents have fair skin tones. It is the same for darker colored skin. While the actual skin tone of an individual can be affected by many factors, it is melanin that plays the most significant part in determining our skin color. Our skin, when exposed to the sun, produces a pigment for its protection called melanin. It offers protection to the skin from sun damage and harmful UV rays.

Why is it important to know?

The reason you need to understand your skin type, in regards to lasers, is that if a laser is applied to darker skin, it can actually have a negative effect on it.  The negative impact usually comes in the form of hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation.  This essentially means that your melanin will either slow down (or stop) melanin production or, conversely, increase melanin production.

Until recently, there really has not been good options for darker skin tones seeking laser treatments of any kind due to this risk.  However, there has been advancements made recently, and we have several options here at Village Dermatology for darker skin toned patients seeking treatment.  The optimal way to find out if you are a candidate is to call and schedule a consultation.

The best method to know

The Fitzpatrick scale is a universally chosen scale by dermatologists to classify the skin type of patients before giving them any skin treatment. The scale classifies skin in six types based on the color, sun damage, and how your skin responds to the sun. These six skin types are-

• Type 1– The people with type 1 skin have ivory or almost white skin, which always freckles and always burns and peel but never gets any tanning. They usually have light blue, light green, or light gray eyes with red or light blonde hair.
• Type 2– People with type 2 skin have fair or pale skin, which usually freckles and often burns and peels but rarely gets any tanning. They have blue, green, or gray eyes with blonde hair.
• Type 3– People with Type 3 skin are fair to beige colored with golden undertones, which sometimes burn and also tans. They have light brown or hazel eyes with dark blonde or light brown hair.
• Type 4– These people have olive or light brown skin color, which tans uniformly and rarely burns. They have dark brown eyes and hair.
• Type 5– These people have a darker shade of brown skin but not very dark. They always tan but never burns and very rarely have any freckles. Their eye and hair color ranges from dark brown to black.
• Type 6– The skin color is a very dark brown or the darkest shade of brown, as you can say, which never really freckles or burns but always tans. The eye and hair color is black.

From the list above, you may be able to determine which one you belong to or your dermatology clinic can help you out before weighing your treatment options. It is vital to understand what kinds of laser treatments are available for which skin type, so you can play a part in your healthcare and aesthetic journey.

Summary

There are a lot of laser treatments available for a myriad skin problems. They are popular because they are safe and effective. But your skin type plays a very important in determining which treatment you should opt for to reach your goals. If you have darker skin, it is advisable to choose your treatment in partnership with an expert dermatology practice and after knowing every aspect of the possible side effects and the healing time. Visit Village Dermatology to find out your skin type and then only opt for the best treatment suited for your skin type.

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