To some, skincare is a necessity. But for many years we haven’t been able to depend on the healthcare system when it comes to our skin care needs.
Dermatology’s history is tinted with racism. Take the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where from 1932 to 1972, Black men were victims to a nonconsensual experiment. This also caused Black people to be unfairly associated with the STD, which can cause wart-like growths on the skin.
Today, the lack of professionals that can properly diagnose those with darker skin contributes to our people being diagnosed for melanoma, a type of skin cancer, much later. This makes it less likely we will survive.
It can be difficult to find Black dermatologists around the country, with only three percent of dermatologists in the U.S. being Black. With that in mind, there are some steps we can take for proper precaution if your dermatologist does not specialize in treating Black skin.
Question everything and ask specifically about Black skin. In The Know lists multiple questions you can ask. Remember medical racism exists, so the better informed we are, the better we advocate for ourselves.