PIGMENT

• There are NO racial differences in the number of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes).

• People with darker skin tones tend to show larger, denser, and more dispersed pigment storage unit (melanosome) within the top layer of the skin (epidermis).

• Patients with darker skin types tend to have less  skin cancer, fewer signs of aging, increased conditions with dark marks.

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SCARRING

• Patients of African descent have been shown to have larger scar producing cells (fibroblasts) which leads to greater scar and keloid formation compared to white patients.

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Reference

- Taylor SC.  Skin of color: biology, structure, function, and implications for dermatologic disease.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Feb;46(2 Suppl Understanding):S41-62.