For many people of color, finding a dermatologist who looks like them can be a challenge, but one thats worth pursuing.

Of course doctors with darker skin are going to be more attuned to cultural aspects surrounding care, because theyre reading their own skin every day, said dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry , who is Black.

She also acknowledged that the pool is limited. Theres a shortage of us, and fewer than 3% of dermatologists in the United States are Black, she said. (Current data indicates that 5.7% of doctors nationwide are Black, though Black people account for 14.4% of the population . Similarly, while Hispanic people represent 18.5% of the overall population, only 4.2% of dermatologists are Hispanic.)

The relatively small cohort of doctors of color will soon be encountering an increasingly changing national complexion, and people with skin of color are expected to become at least half of the countrys population by 2044.

Has your derm been trained on skin like yours?

I did my general dermatology program at Mount Sinai and my MOHS surgery program at Harvard, said Henry, who is based in New York. Our textbooks severely underrepresented skin of color and different conditions. I had to buy special textbooks to understand darker skin better, because my textbooks were insufficient. I made a significant effort to learn on my own, because our curriculum didnt focus on skin of color.

Her fellow derms agree. Many textbooks and teaching resources dont have many images of skin conditions in darker skin tones, which poses a challenge in terms of educating future physicians and dermatologists, said dermatologist Dr. Janiene Luke , a clinical professor of dermatology at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.

Why does this matter?

While all dermatologists treat hair, skin and nails, finding someone who has special training and interest in skin of color is beneficial, Luke said. We are keenly aware of the nuances of melanated skin and textured hair and can understand not only your skin and hair care needs, but also the unique challenges you may encounter as well.

She named some examples: While many common skin conditions occur in all skin types, the clinical presentation may appear differently in the context of skin of color. Some of the classic signs dermatologists are taught to recognize, like erythema, also known as redness, may look more purple, dark brown or even gray with some skin tones.

Henry also explained some key differences. Darker skin has larger fibroblasts that are creating more collagen, she said. This is part of the reason that we dont see accelerated aging in darker skin tones, because the collagen stays a little higher. However, this can also be a double-edged sword, because those fibroblasts making the collagen are also hyperactive and can lead to keloidal scars, which darker skin types are more prone to getting.