Skincare for Asian skin

Start with your skin type

• Dry skin feels flaky, itchy or rough.
• Oily skin looks shiny and feels greasy.
• Combination skin has both dry and oily areas.
• Sensitive skin can sting or burn after product use.
• Normal skin is clear and not sensitive.

These differences are more useful for selecting everyday products than treating Asian skin as a single shopping category. Your cleanser needs a skin type, not a geography lesson.1

How to build your daily routine

1. 1Wash daily and after exercise with a mild facial cleanser and lukewarm water. Avoid hot water and drying bar soap.
2. 2Apply moisturizer daily while skin is still damp after washing, bathing or shaving. Moisturizer traps water in the skin.
3. 3Use sunscreen every morning. Before going outdoors, cover exposed skin, including your ears and neck. Reapply every two hours outdoors and after swimming or sweating.

Which sunscreen should you choose?

Darker skin has some natural protection from melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color, but still needs sunscreen. Daily protection helps prevent sunburn and sun damage, including wrinkles, and reduces the risk of several skin cancers. Sunscreen is not just a product for people who turn pink.3

Choose broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. For prolonged outdoor exposure, choose a higher SPF. When treating pigmentation on exposed skin, SPF 50 or higher is a practical choice. Shade, protective clothing and a wide brimmed hat add protection rather than replacing sunscreen.123

For dark spots, choose a tinted sunscreen containing iron oxide, which helps protect against visible light as well as the ultraviolet protection supplied by the sunscreen. Look for iron oxide in the inactive ingredient list and a tint that blends with your skin tone. Tinted mineral options are less likely to leave a white cast; allow about five to 10 minutes for the sunscreen to settle and blend.34

Why do pimples and irritation leave dark marks?

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation means darker patches left after inflammation or injury. The marks occur where the original problem healed, and range from light brown to black. Anyone can develop them, but they are more common, more intense and longer lasting in darker skin. Sunlight can darken them further.2

Acne, eczema, cuts, burns and irritating skincare can trigger dark spots. Treat the cause first: fading old acne marks while breakouts continue leaves the source of new marks active. Hormonal changes during pregnancy and some medicines can also cause pigmentation. Do not stop prescribed medicine because of dark spots; ask the prescriber whether discoloration is a possible side effect.4

What skincare products work best for Asian skin?

For acne prone skin, look for cleansers and moisturizers labelled oil free or noncomedogenic, meaning formulated not to clog pores. For sensitive skin, choose mild, fragrance free products. Unscented products can contain masking fragrance, so the absence of a smell is not the same as the absence of fragrance.1

For dark spots, options include azelaic acid, vitamin C, glycolic acid, kojic acid and retinoids such as retinol. Begin with controlling the cause and protecting skin from sunlight. A brightening product has a less useful assignment if irritation keeps creating new marks, however ambitious the bottle sounds.4

Pigmentation treatments often produce partial improvement rather than complete clearing. Retinoids can improve marks, while laser treatment can clear pigmentation in some people but can also make it worse. Chemical peels and intense pulsed light can help pigment near the skin surface, yet the injury they cause can aggravate pigmentation. These procedures do not treat pigment deposited deeper in the skin.25

How long do dark marks take to fade?

After the cause stops, a spot a few shades darker than your natural skin color usually fades within six to 12 months. Deeper pigment can take years and can look slate blue, gray or much darker brown. Treatment can speed fading. If marks are not improving with treatment, a dermatologist can assess whether prescription treatment is needed.4

Dark marks and acne scars need different treatment

A color change after acne is different from a dent or raised scar, although both can occur together. Pigmentation often improves with time. Acne scars involve changes in the skin's supporting tissue and are usually permanent, though treatment can improve their appearance. Depressed scars include narrow, deep ice pick scars, broader boxcar scars and rolling scars with sloping edges.6

Raised keloid scars extend beyond the original acne lesion and are more common in skin of color. Picking or squeezing acne increases the likelihood of scarring. Treat active acne before starting scar procedures: timely treatment can reduce both the number and severity of scars. Scar treatment depends on depth, size, location and skin type, and can involve resurfacing, fillers, procedures to release tethered scars or combinations of treatments. Raised scars can recur after treatment.6

What skincare works for Asian men?

The same basic routine applies to men. For shaving, soften skin and hair with water, use moisturizing shaving cream and shave with hair growth. If close shaving causes bumps or ingrown hairs, try a single or double blade razor without stretching the skin. Rinse after each stroke and replace the blade after five to seven shaves.1

What should you stop for, and when should you get help?

Stop a skincare product that burns or stings. Avoid liquid bleach on skin. Some imported fading products have contained unlisted mercury or steroids; choose dark spot treatments recommended by a dermatologist rather than an unfamiliar lightening cream.4

Check your skin monthly, including nails, hands, soles and between toes. Skin cancer can occur in darker skin and can appear in less obvious places. Have a dermatologist examine a new growth that looks different from other spots, or a mole or spot that itches, bleeds or changes color.13