A short notice on cosmetic procedures
Talking about injectables is something my caucasian friends and I easily do at brunch for example. I must say that this topic almost never comes up when I am around my black friends. Maybe now.. just because I am a Dermatologist they also sometimes like to hear my opinion on certain procedures … talking privately. But why?
The lack of representation in clinical research and in marketing made a lot of darker skin types hesitate about getting Botox, Filler and other cosmetic treatments because one could not tell them if it was also safe for them. Social media platforms where Dermatologist, aesthetician and individuals speak about different procedures provided a lot of clarity with noticeable increase of the demand.
If marketing mainly focuses on caucasian skin promoting injectables for lip and cheek treatments , others won’t think this is also a service available for them.
One could also argue that for example black individuals often already have full lips so they will not think that injectables could still be serving them (probably other areas). especially since lips treatments was and probably still is one of the most popular request. On the other hand you might have noticed that marketing for cosmetic procedures is now aimed at people of color while practitioners are starting to offer more services for all their potential clients.
BUT only because your local Dermatologist or aesthetician has a new ad showing laser treatments on a Fitzpatrick V model does not necessary mean they are experts in treating dark skin.
Do PoC need an different approach to injectables and other cosmetic procedures ?
Yes and No. Thinking about the fact that hyperpigmentations post brusing for example plays a bigger role, it is super important how your physician administers the material and handles your skin type. Also your doctor should have an idea for ethnic variation, history and culture appreciation to understand what you might want and for desirable outcomes (think of lip proportion in caucasian vs asian and black population).
CHECK these boxes to have more confidence before getting a treatment since marketing unfortunately can be misleading:
Simply ask if they treat patients with your skin tone to get an overall impression on how experienced they are
Read reviews form other patients of color about their experience
Check out their website: Do they seem to be inclusive? What kind of people do they treat on their social media platforms?
The lack of examples of work on non-white people can be an indicator – let them show you their work
With more invasive treatments I can only recommend to only see board-certified physicians who studied anatomy and can handle complications
Is the person offering filler or botox legally qualified? Especially in Berlin one can get great deals on almost every street corner. However, going to a doctor ensures a qualification which also means to be able to handle complications. A first consultation should be held by the doctor and not a nurse working at the front desk... I’m not making this up (it all happened before)
All hyaluronic acids are not the same! Not every filler is the right choice for any patient and any augmentation.
This topic comes from a personal experience I recently made…
I went for a facial and the woman which I knew before talked me into a new superficial-medium peel ( the ad pictured 3 different skin tones and said it was safe for all). At the end I left with burning skin areas and the peeling process was visible for the next 3-4 days. I needed down time but she did not tell me! I was not prepared since I had to go to work and secondly some of the brusing left me with hypopigmentations that stayed for several months... luckily my skin is forgiving! I felt the urge to go back and let her know how irresponsible she behaved.
Asking her for the concentrations of AHA and BHA she used on me, she could not give me an answer... she clearly didn’t now what she was doing…
Simply put: You’ll mostly get what you paid for!
I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Merry Christmas !
X Mimi
