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Greetings!
Thank you for your recent inquiry to Shanti Medspa at The Institute for Advanced Skincare & Optimal Health. You have requested additional information on your skin type.
African American can skin covers many different skin conditions and skin colors. This intoductory e-letter discusses the most common concerns experienced by our clients.
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Acne
 Acne is a skin condition that occurs when the oil secreting glands on the body become blocked and inflamed. This occurs at the base of a hair follicle. Acne, commonly referred to as pimples, can occur on the face, neck, shoulders, chest, back, and even the thighs.
The problem for African American skin is that the scar that it leaves on the skin can last much longer than the actual pimple itself. To prevent acne scarring as well as to improve the scars that you have, we recommend using a lightening gel that helps decrease the melanocytes from being over active. Melanocytes are the cells that make pigment.
Over time the lightening gel will blend the dark pigmented areas to your normal skin color. It does not make the skin lighter than its natural color. We also recommend the use of good skin care products to prevent the acne. Depending on the extent and severity, our skin care specialist can help determine what program will be best for you.
Other treatments for acne can vary from using peels, microderm, the acne laser, or our resurfacing laser. How we determine what is the best will depend on the extent of your acne, how long you have had the problem as well as what you have tried in the past. We only offer treatments that can be used on all skin types. After your visit we may recommend a treatment but may need to pretreat the skin to prepare it for different services.
Different treatments for acne
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Unwanted Hair
Laser Hair Removal
 Laser hair removal is one of the most common treatments people seek. For African Americans there are other reasons why Laser Hair Removal may be beneficial. Unwanted hair on darker skin is typically removed using waxing, tweezing, depilatories, or electrolysis. The problem with these treatments are that it can leave a scar on the treatment area causing another problem. These scars as discussed previously can last for a long time.
Laser Hair Removal is very helpful to remove the hair without causing a scar on the treatment area. For Laser Hair Removal, there are two types of lasers: an ablative or a non-ablative laser. An ablative laser works very well, but it has a greater risk of scarring brown skin, thus at Shanti, we use non- ablative lasers. This is an Intense Pulse light that destroys the hair follicle. It takes about 9-10 treatments to complete. Many other places state it occurs in 6 visits, but that is not true. The laser setting must change with each skin type and for African American skin, we protect it with a lower setting but more treatments to obtain the same results. The laser can be used on the full body. If there are areas of discoloration or also many ingrowns, we may recommend a chemical peel to help straighten the hair for you to get the best results.
Read more
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Discoloration
Brown Spots and Patches!
 Another common concern is brown spots and patches of discoloration. These can be due to acne, ingrown hairs, as well as melasma. Melasma is a darkening of the skin that can occur anywhere on the body. When it occurs on the face, there are areas of uneven skin tones that can cause much distress. Melasma can occur from the sun, but most often occurs due to hormonal changes from birth control, pregnancy, and menopause. Many African American women will have noticed the line in the center of their abdomen to have gotten darker in pregnancy. This darkening is due to the hormonal changes of pregnancy.
For Melasma and other types of discoloration, it is important to come in as soon as possible. The longer one waits, the longer it takes to see results. The best treatments will depend on the extent of the discoloration as well as the depth of the discoloration. The rule of thumb is the longer it has been there, the deeper it is, and the more aggressive treatment is needed.
After your consultation, our skin care specialist will discuss with you if you are a candidate for a peel, the skin rejuvenation, or the our skin resurfacing treatment (the Pixel). To prevent further discoloration, it is critical to use SPF. No matter what our skin color is, SPF is critical to preventing sun damage and unevenness of the skin.
Learn about the Pixel
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At Shanti Medspa at The Institute for Advanced Skincare, our diverse team is here to care for you and to teach you about how your can help improve your skin! Remember, the most important things are to be on a good skin care program, use sun block every day to prevent sun damage and discoloration, and to see our skin care specialist to help you choose the right treatment for your skin! If you have additional concerns or questions for us, please feel free to email us or call us. So come in for your complimentary skin care consultation and give us a try. Begin your journey to looking good, feeling great, and living better!
Sincerely,
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