Diseases in skin of color

Abstract

People of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have their own patterns of disease and reaction of the skin and its appendages. This is mainly due to variations in pigmentation, physiological differences in skin, hair follicles, and hair shafts, as well as culturally bound characteristics. Doctors who predominantly care for White patients may have difficulties in correctly classifying physiological variants in dark-skinned patients. This is partly due to the fact that the usual color characterization of some pathological phenomena is suitable for White but not for other skin types. In addition, distribution patterns and morphology of a number of dermatoses also vary. Knowledge of the patient's cultural background ("cultural competence") facilitates understanding certain expressions of disease and modes of therapy.