¿This book will identify the top dermatological conditions for patients with skin of color and
provide essential features which contrast these conditions in darker skin types. The reader
will be able to formulate informed treatment regimens for patients with skin of color. The book
will also provide clinical pearls to guide decision making as well as important cultural
beliefs that must be considered in order to provide optimal care to patients with skin of
color. Clinical cases are a key component in modern medical education assisting the trainee or
recertifying clinician to work through unusual cases using best practice techniques.
Dermatology is an important discipline in this regard since it is a highly visual subject
requiring the reader to describe often very subtle differences in the presentation of patients
and define accurately the diagnostic and management criteria to base their clinical
decision-making on. By the year 2050 people with skin of color (including Africans African
Americans Asians Native Americans and Hispanics) will represent more than half of the U.S.
population. There is now an increasing demand for dermatologic treatments in patients with skin
of color as well as an accompanying need for education and training in this quickly expanding
market. Skin of Color is a key topic within dermatology as specific conditions can be harder to
diagnose effectively in darker skin and their treatment can be compromised by this. Conditions
such as psoriasis eczema and atopic dermatitis may be more difficult to diagnose in darker
skin. There are various other conditions that can provide a challenge in management including
postinflammatory hyperpigmentation melasma scarring alopecias and pseudofolliculitis
barbae. If these skin disorders are not diagnosed and treated properly the initial lesions can
become darker as they heal and the darker spots can last for years in some cases. ¿