Tackling colourism and steps towards improving diversity in the aesthetics sector

Dr Amiee Vyas

In recent years, the importance of understanding different skin tones and how this impacts aesthetic treatments has become a growing priority. Historically, western medicine has taught dermatology with Caucasian skin as standard, the consequence of which is a huge gap in clinician knowledge of both skin of colour anatomy and how to recognise common conditions and clinical signs in all specialties. There is now greater awareness that inadequate knowledge has resulted in avoidable complications and dangerous misdiagnoses in this group. In this article, I will provide an introduction to how the standard of care that is provided to the ever-growing diverse patient population in the aesthetics industry can be raised.

The TREND-EF population projection for the UK suggests that, by 2051, the black and ethnic minority population will have increased from 8% to 21%, with the mixed group expected to grow between 148% and 249% and the Asian group between 95% and 153% (Rees et al, 2012). Therefore, it is more crucial than ever for clinicians to offer safe and effective treatments for a diverse skin palette.