“Many of us are educating clients and fellow professionals about the unique needs of melanin-rich skin: how to treat it safely, which ingredients work best and how to prevent conditions like hyperpigmentation or keloid scarring. In doing so, we’re raising the overall standard of care across the industry.”

Fellow practitioner Jamie Finley-Scriven, who has her own practice, Reminisce, in South Carolina, believes that this lack of education is the root of the issue. “I’ll never forget reading in my aesthetics textbook [while training] that Black skin was ‘tough, oily, and leathery’,” she says. “That line alone reveals how deeply stereotypes have been embedded in professional education.”

Teresa knows the damaging impact of such ignorance firsthand. “Some clients have shared experiences of clinics where practitioners have undermined their self-esteem, making micro-aggressive comments or implying that they are less attractive.”

The skincare specialists demystifying cosmetic treatments for Black women

It’s this discrimination that often leads Black women to feel rejected by the cosmetic treatment space and that certain procedures aren’t for them.

“For a long time, aesthetics has been coded as a white, Eurocentric luxury, meaning frozen foreheads and razor-sharp noses,” says skincare specialist and content creator, Dr Kemi Fabusiwa. “There’s this idea that if you get fillers or tweakments, you’re somehow trying to look white or erase your Blackness.”

Dr Fabusiwa is working to remove shame from the conversation around cosmetic enhancements for Black women in particular. “I talk about injectables the same way I talk about SPF or exfoliation, as a legitimate, evidence-based option that’s about maintenance, not transformation. When Black women see someone who looks like them discussing Botox or filler confidently without euphemism, it normalises it.”

When it comes to receiving injectables, Black women have unique needs. “The best injectors understand that every face tells its own story,” Dr Fabusiwa explains. “For Black women, that means respecting natural volume, undertones and proportions, not erasing them. We have more melanin protection and distinctive facial architecture, so how we approach prevention and rejuvenation should look different.”

Nicola Wiafe, who owns the clinic Ayimaa Aesthetics, is well-versed in this area. “Research has shown that Black skin can be more prone to dryness due to lower ceramide levels,” she explains. “That’s why treatments like skin boosters, which are basically high-strength injectable moisturisers, can be great for us as they add hydration to the skin at a deeper layer.”

Nicola highlights that when administering injectables, there are no major differences between the brands used and that the practical elements are largely the same. “But I don’t use brands that can’t provide evidence that their products are safe and effective on Black skin. Why would I choose to stock brands that don’t treat people who look like me?” She notes that there are key considerations across all skin types, but being “thoughtful, informed and inclusive” with each client is the correct approach.

Teresa echoes this point. “We are not a monolith – [I aim to] de-influence negative self-talk and misconceptions,” she says, while providing services such as LED light therapy, microneedling and chemical facials.