Ethnic Skin: South Asian
South Asians make up one quarter of the world’s population. The skin tones vary from very light to very dark, with many of us falling in the mid range, which we refer to as the color of “Wheat”. Being South Asian, I treat many other South Asians. What are the most common concerns I see in my patients at Shanti Medical Spa & Wellness center are unwanted hair, discoloration, and acne. This of course does not cover the wide array of skin conditions experienced in our community, but are the most common ones I see everyday.
For many South Asians, we have the genetic predisposition to have more hair than other people in the world. Our hair is thicker, coarser, and denser. There is no part of our bodies that is not affected by this! Almost 70% of the laser hair removal done today is done on South Asians even though we make up less than 2% of the population in the US. The love and desire to be hairless is insatiable in our community. It is best to start earlier rather than later. The reason is the hair that has been waxed, tweezed, and threaded responds slower to the laser than hair that is “virginal” to hair removing techniques. What hair removal techniques due to the hair follicle is it makes it crooked from the constant trauma and thus, when the laser light hits it, the whole hair follicle is not penetrated, which extends the hair removal process even longer. The earliest one can start is two years after a young teenage girl has had her period. For young teenage boys, they can start after 16, since most have started growing by then. If for whatever reason, one has not experienced pubertal changes, I do not recommend proceeding with hair removal. The body will go through a change during this time, and it is important to wait and see what happens.
When you choose a laser hair removal place, go to a reputable place that has had training working on South Asian skin. Many places literally train staff overnight and let them loose on unsuspecting clients. I think the hardest area to treat on my women patient’s is their lip area because it tends to be lighter and finer hair. It usually responds less than areas that have thick and coarser hair. Remember, because we have more hair than most people do, it will take us longer to respond to any hair removal technique than other people. Don’t worry, laser hair removal is great. I have done my whole body!
South Asians also suffer from acne just like the rest of the world. I do think that some of the acne is due to the excess hair we suffer from. I like to do a multi-faceted approach for my South Asian patients. I usually begin acne treatments along with hair removal to get the best treatments. Depending on the severity of acne, the treatments will vary. Please refer to the previous blog on what causes acne and acne treatments for more information.
For mild acne, topical treatments and peels work well. For more severe acne, laser treatments will probably help more. Talk to your local expert to see what a better treatment option is for you.
Discoloration is a common concern in the South Asian community. You can have discoloration from acne, bug bites, scratches, picking, hormonal changes, and just from aging. Treatment once again varies on how much discoloration one has and how long it has been there. For patients who just don’t want to do anything but use topical creams, I love the OBAGI line for South Asians. I use it and all the women in my family use it. It is an amazing line that helps with acne, brown spots, and slows down the aging process as well! Go to obagi.com to learn more!
For patients who have more severe discoloration, peels or lasers are better options. If the scarring has been there for years, the lasers will work better because they penetrate deeper and thus are more effective. I use the Pixel, our resurfacing laser on many South Asian patients. It is an amazing treatment that improves skin tone, texture, evenness and it even fills in soft lines and wrinkles! I love this laser for myself and my patients. To learn about South Asian skin and aging, stay tuned!
For many South Asians, we have the genetic predisposition to have more hair than other people in the world. Our hair is thicker, coarser, and denser. There is no part of our bodies that is not affected by this! Almost 70% of the laser hair removal done today is done on South Asians even though we make up less than 2% of the population in the US. The love and desire to be hairless is insatiable in our community. It is best to start earlier rather than later. The reason is the hair that has been waxed, tweezed, and threaded responds slower to the laser than hair that is “virginal” to hair removing techniques. What hair removal techniques due to the hair follicle is it makes it crooked from the constant trauma and thus, when the laser light hits it, the whole hair follicle is not penetrated, which extends the hair removal process even longer. The earliest one can start is two years after a young teenage girl has had her period. For young teenage boys, they can start after 16, since most have started growing by then. If for whatever reason, one has not experienced pubertal changes, I do not recommend proceeding with hair removal. The body will go through a change during this time, and it is important to wait and see what happens.
When you choose a laser hair removal place, go to a reputable place that has had training working on South Asian skin. Many places literally train staff overnight and let them loose on unsuspecting clients. I think the hardest area to treat on my women patient’s is their lip area because it tends to be lighter and finer hair. It usually responds less than areas that have thick and coarser hair. Remember, because we have more hair than most people do, it will take us longer to respond to any hair removal technique than other people. Don’t worry, laser hair removal is great. I have done my whole body!
South Asians also suffer from acne just like the rest of the world. I do think that some of the acne is due to the excess hair we suffer from. I like to do a multi-faceted approach for my South Asian patients. I usually begin acne treatments along with hair removal to get the best treatments. Depending on the severity of acne, the treatments will vary. Please refer to the previous blog on what causes acne and acne treatments for more information.
For mild acne, topical treatments and peels work well. For more severe acne, laser treatments will probably help more. Talk to your local expert to see what a better treatment option is for you.
Discoloration is a common concern in the South Asian community. You can have discoloration from acne, bug bites, scratches, picking, hormonal changes, and just from aging. Treatment once again varies on how much discoloration one has and how long it has been there. For patients who just don’t want to do anything but use topical creams, I love the OBAGI line for South Asians. I use it and all the women in my family use it. It is an amazing line that helps with acne, brown spots, and slows down the aging process as well! Go to obagi.com to learn more!
For patients who have more severe discoloration, peels or lasers are better options. If the scarring has been there for years, the lasers will work better because they penetrate deeper and thus are more effective. I use the Pixel, our resurfacing laser on many South Asian patients. It is an amazing treatment that improves skin tone, texture, evenness and it even fills in soft lines and wrinkles! I love this laser for myself and my patients. To learn about South Asian skin and aging, stay tuned!
Labels: acne, ardmore, botox, Laser hair removal, laser skin rejuvenation, Lee Kirksey MD, medical spa, optimal health, optimalhealthtoday.com, PA, philadelphia, restylane, seema patel MD, shanti, skin
posted by Seema Patel MD, MPH @ 8:25 PM
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