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December 2007

New Rush clinic tackles ethnic skin troubles

Dec 2007

If you're a woman of color grappling with hair loss or considering an anti-aging procedure, or a black man afflicted with razor bumps, finding a dermatologist experienced in treating what ails you is a major challenge.

But the Ethnic Skin and Hair Clinic launched at Rush University Medical Center is designed to be just what the doctor ordered.
 
Dr. Lady C. Dy (from left), Dr. Ella Toombs and Dr. Victoria Holloway Barbosa, dermatologists specializing in the treatment of non-Caucasian skin and hair at Rush University’s Ethnic Skin and Hair Clinic, consult last week with patient Ademola Fasadi.

Rush Medical Center has established an ethnic skin and hair clinic to handle hair and skin problems unique to people of color.

"These individuals have unique needs, and their needs, by the dermatological community, exclusive of ethnic physicians, just really haven't been paid any significant amount of attention," said Dr. Ella Toombs.

She is one of three dermatologists with expertise in non-Caucasian skin, hair and scalp ailments, who staff the center.

"When you do certain procedures, there are different consequences for heavily pigmented skin vs. people who are nonpigmented," said clinic dermatologist Dr. Lady Dy. "All of these procedures that [dermatologists] do, it affects them differently. Their skin behaves differently. But not all clinicians are actually trained in dealing with darkly pigmented skin."

Dy completed her residency in dermatology at Indiana University's School of Medicine. She worked in Indianapolis, where 50 percent of her patients were darker skinned, she said.

Toombs does cosmetic dermatology, liposuction and liposculpture. She is an expert with cosmetics in treating acne and skin rejuvenation, skin cancer in deeply pigmented people, and in the development of dermatologic drugs, devices and biologics.

She came to Rush after a successful private practice at Aesthetic Dermatology of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. She also previously worked as a dermatologic medical officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Completing the clinic's trio is Harvard and Yale graduate Dr. Victoria Holloway Barbosa. She was previously director of the L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin research, which she built and ran, and assistant vice president of research and development at L'Oreal. She also is a former assistant clinical professor at Howard University and former instructor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Among conditions the center treats are hyperpigmentation, which is darkening of the skin.

"With brown skin, any time you have any insult to the skin, whether its a pimple or a patch of eczema, it often results in a dark spot," Barbosa said. "So a pimple will last for a week, the dark spot will be there two months later."

The condition is common in Asians, African Americans and Hispanics with darker skin tones. It is caused because the cells that give people darker skin are created in large numbers during healing. The condition can be brought on by rashes, cuts, burns and acne. Scar tissue might also spread beyond the original wound creating raised nodules of tissue called keloids.

Treatments include creams or chemical peeling agents. The creams are tailored for each patient and use a combination of a bleaching agent, retinoid and a steroid, clinic representatives said.

Ademola Fasadi, 39, sought treatment at the clinic for his acne after mass market products failed to help him.

"The general recipe for everybody didn't work for me," he said. "I needed someone who would be able to understand my kind of skin. I'm African. My skin is different. With Dr. Toombs, I saw better results."

Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer Fields sought treatment for acne and hyperpigmentation.

"I felt they would know people of color's skin better and have more knowledge regarding treatments," she said. "Now [the acne] has pretty much cleared up, and we're addressing the pigmentation issues. I've been happy with the service."

Dermatologists at the center also treat pseudofolliculities barbae, commonly called razor bumps. The condition occurs when curved hairs grow back into the skin, causing bumps and cysts that might hurt or itch and that can produce scarring.

Other conditions the doctors treat include skin cancer, and hair loss caused by skin disorders and harmful hot combs and chemical treatments used to straighten hair. Clinic doctors can also remove moles, a condition afflicting many African Americans.