Body skincare routine for Black skin

Choose for your skin type, not just your skin tone

Black skin can be dry, oily, sensitive or a mixture. Skin tone and skin type describe different things, which is inconvenient for a bottle trying to solve both with one adjective. Pay attention to how your body skin feels: tightness and scaling suggest dryness, while stinging, burning or itching can indicate sensitivity. Sensitive skin can also be oily or dry. Your needs can change with the seasons, age and hormonal changes, including pregnancy. Choose products for the skin you have now rather than keeping the same routine by habit.4

What order should you follow?

1. 1Wash gently. Choose a fragrance free, moisturizing body wash or cleanser. Use warm water rather than hot water, and keep the bath or shower to five to ten minutes.
2. 2Avoid abrasive washing. For dry, easily irritated skin, use a soft cloth rather than a bath brush or buff puff. Focus cleansing on areas such as the armpits, groin and feet rather than prolonging the shower.
3. 3Pat dry, leaving some water on your skin. Apply a fragrance free moisturizing cream within three minutes of bathing to help hold that water in your skin.
4. 4Protect uncovered skin during the day. Use broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher on skin that clothing will not cover outdoors. Clothing and shade also provide protection.

What should you look for in a body moisturizer?

For dry body skin, choose a cream rather than a lotion. Look for a formula that combines ingredients that draw in water, hold it in and soften rough skin. Humectants, such as hyaluronic acid or urea, attract water. Occlusives, such as petrolatum or dimethicone, reduce moisture loss. Emollients, such as mineral oil or shea, smooth and soften skin. Ceramides help lock in moisture, too. These are ingredient options, not a requirement to buy separate products for each job. The price tag cannot tell you how well a moisturizer will work, even if it seems very pleased with itself. The ingredient mix matters more than the cost.5

For dry or sensitive skin, skip fragrance and potentially irritating botanical ingredients. Fragrance free does not mean free from every possible allergen, so check the ingredients for anything you already know you react to. An unscented product can contain ingredients that mask fragrance rather than remove it. If a cream is not enough for very dry skin, an ointment holds water in more effectively.15

How often should you wash and moisturize?

Moisturize after every bath or shower, and reapply during the day when skin feels dry. The moisturizer belongs after washing whether you bathe in the morning or evening. If daily showers leave your skin dry, try bathing every other day. Long, hot showers and harsh soaps can strip away the oils and fats that help protect skin. Cold, dry weather can increase dryness, so you may need to moisturize several times a day rather than only after bathing. Frequent handwashing and work involving water or harsh chemicals can also increase dryness.25

Does Black body skin need sunscreen?

Yes. Melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, protects against some ultraviolet radiation, but Black skin can still burn and develop sun damage. Sun damage can affect the arms, legs, backs of the hands and upper chest, not just the face. Make sunscreen part of daytime care for exposed body skin. Broad spectrum means protection against both UVA and UVB rays. SPF 30 or higher is the general starting point; for exposed dark marks left after inflammation, choose broad spectrum SPF 50 or higher to limit further darkening. Use shade and protective clothing alongside sunscreen rather than relying on sunscreen alone.1367

How should you handle dark marks?

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation means extra pigment left after skin inflammation or injury. Marks can remain where acne, eczema, a cut or a burn has healed. They are more common in darker skin, where the color can be stronger and persist longer. Sunlight can darken these patches. Avoid picking pimples and protect exposed marks from the sun. A dark patch is not automatically a reason to scrub harder: treatments such as chemical peels and lasers can worsen pigmentation by injuring the skin. Hyperpigmentation also has causes other than injury, including hormonal changes and some medications, so an unexplained patch needs assessment rather than an automatic brightening routine.37

Options for treating dark marks include azelaic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide, hydroquinone and tretinoin. The right choice depends on the cause and depth of the pigmentation; deeper pigment does not respond to the same procedures as surface pigment. A dermatologist can help select a treatment rather than adding several brightening products at once. Treatments can clear some spots and lessen others, but improvement can take months or a year. New spots can appear, especially without sun protection. Moisturizing treats dryness; it is not a substitute for targeted treatment of persistent pigmentation.37

Do you need to exfoliate?

Exfoliation is not a compulsory step in body care, despite the industry's enthusiasm for assigning homework. Overexfoliating can damage the skin barrier, the outer protective layer, and leave skin dry, flaky or itchy. Glycolic acid is an exfoliating ingredient used in some pigmentation treatments, but that does not make a strong peel a sensible default for your whole body. If your skin is sensitive, avoid harsh ingredients that cause irritation, including benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Stop using a product that causes burning, itching or worsening dryness instead of adding more exfoliation.457

When should you get medical help?

See a clinician if dryness persists despite moisturizing and gentler bathing. Some medicines, including statins and diuretics, can cause very dry skin. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber whether your medicines increase sensitivity to sunlight; some antibiotics and other prescriptions do. Do not stop prescribed medicine to address pigmentation without discussing it with your prescriber. Dark patches should not be painful or itchy. Seek medical care for skin that is hot, painful, itchy or leaking blood or pus. Arrange a dermatologist appointment for a spot that looks different from others, changes or bleeds.12567