Clinical Cases in Skin of Color

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.