Recent studies on Dark Pigmented skin

At clinics and research centers in Chicago, New York, Washington, Detroit and Miami, dermatologists are developing better treatments for skin problems of people with dark skin. Some skin doctors concentrate their practices on blacks, Hispanics and Asians, people who were previously neglected by drug and cosmetic company research.

Dr. Rebat Halder of Howard University's Ethnic Skin Research Institute said that the nation's changing demographics drive the movement .Dr.Halder has edited the first comprehensive textbook on dermatology of ethnic skin, which was published this year.

A growing number of African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are entering dermatology, which also fuels the trend, said Dr. Victoria Holloway Barbosa, director of the 6-year-old L'Oréal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research in Chicago.

Dark skin has many advantages, she said. Pigment protects the skin from the sun's damaging effects, and some research shows that darker skin is stronger structurally as well. Dark skin can react differently than white skin to cosmetic treatments and medications.

It is more prone to discoloration after injury, and more inclined to keloids, a type of scar that can be unsightly and sometimes itchy or painful. A doctor unfamiliar with keloids might try to cut them out, which can cause them to return larger, said Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, director of ethnic skin care at the University of Miami, Cosmetic Center.

Women with dark skin sometimes develop melasma, also called "the mask of pregnancy," a darkening of the face that is related to hormones. Vitiligo, a disorder affecting pop star Michael Jackson, leads to white patches on the skin is another well known skin disorder.

In treating patients dermatologists can improve the way they communicate with patients better if they understand cultural grooming and hair styling practices.