Create a skin care regimen
Say goodbye to soap and water! "It's really time for people to update their skin care regimen," advises Dr. Taylor. "You should follow a regimen that's either going to keep your skin healthy, clear, or even your skin and keep it bright and radiant."
Getty Images/Image Source
Cleanser
"Black skin is often sensitive and easily irritated. So cleansers that are non-irritating, that contain ingredients that prevent inflammation, that cleanse and hydrate the skin are ideal. If you have acne prone skin, I would suggest a cleanser that contains salicylic acid to prevent and treat acne."
Getty Images
Discoloration
"By far the top skin concern for people of color is hyperpigmentation which includes discolorations, dark marks, and uneven skin tone. Sensitive skin and acne round out the top concerns of people of color."
Wash your face
Women don't be lazy, wash your face! "If you don't wash your face, all of that make up, dirt and oil is going to stay on your face all night long and that's not good for your pores," says Dr. Taylor.
Scarring
"A characteristic of black skin is that abnormal healing of the skin occurs frequently. When skin is injured, it may heal with one of several types of scars: normal (level with the surrounding skin), atrophic (depressed), hypertrophic (slightly raised), and keloidal (large and raised)."
Sun damage
"African American skin doesn't burn as easily but African American skin DOES burn and that's one of the greatest myths," Dr. Taylor explains. "If you get in the sun you're going to burn. African Americans do develop skin cancer, no doubt about it."
Skin diseases
"Many skin diseases are inherited such as acne, eczema and psoriasis so that hereditary predisposition cannot be altered by diet or skin regimen. However, having a good skin care regimen may help to prevent a flare or exacerbation of a particular skin disorder and it may help to keep a skin disorder under control."
www.jupiterimages.com
Treating razor bumps
-Stop shaving completely and grow a beard
-Permanent reduction of hair with the hair removal laser
-Shave daily with a single edge blade, with the grain (not against the grain). This prevents the hair from growing long enough to pierce the skin
-Use of glycolic acid products which help prevent in-grown hairs
-Prescription medications that are used for acne often help razor bumps.
Men vs Women
In general, male skin has more oil glands as compared to female skin and hence is often oilier. Also there are far more facial hairs and they are thicker than in women. Women's skin is much more sensitive than men's.