Nofu Chronicles #6 - Just The Facts - Even If You Don't Touch the Bump, You Get a Dark Spot

During one of my early days at work, my new boss handed me a book called "Black Skin." This book provided valuable insights into the layers of the skin and the role of melanocytes. It became apparent that individuals with more pigment in their skin face challenges when it comes to treating disruptions such as pimples. Even without touching the bump, a dark spot can develop. This is particularly true for individuals with African, Asian, Latin, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, as the melanocytes in their skin have more difficulty healing hyperpigmentation. Various factors such as acne, melasma, sun exposure, eczema, psoriasis, burns, bug bites, scrapes, and even microdermabrasion can contribute to skin discoloration. Surprisingly, microdermabrasion can darken the skin three to four shades on individuals with darker pigment. 

I once had a client who had been missing for a few months. When she returned for an extraction and peel session, I noticed that her skin, which was of African American descent, had become at least four shades darker. When I asked her where she had been, she explained that she had been getting microdermabrasion facials. Witnessing the negative impact of microdermabrasion on her skin firsthand left me astonished. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only time I encountered such a negative outcomes. Months later, a woman of Asian descent came to our clinic with a burn mark on her cheek the size of a silver dollar. This came from an esthetician who was heavy handed and was trying to remove a mark on the skin. 

I was learning on steroids. Realizing that this was just the facts, even if you don't touch the bump, you get a dark spot.