For African-Americans and other darker-skinned people, is the treatment for psoriasis different than for people with light-colored skin?
The immunologic dysfunctions that are a major predisposing factor in psoriasis are believed to be the same in all persons regardless of skin color. The patterns of genetic inheritability for the predisposing factors may vary in different groups. The pigmentation of skin is controlled by hormonal processes that are unrelated to the immune and inflammatory processes that underlie psoriasis. It is interesting to note that all humans, regardless of skin color, have about the same number of melanocytes (pigment-containing cells) at any given site on the skin. Variations in skin color are due to differences in hormonal regulation of pigment formation within the melanocytes, and transfer of the pigment from melanocytes to keratinocytes (the cells that make up the majority of the outer layer of skin). A principal hormone in the regulation of human skin color is melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH). The incidence of psoriasis is much lower in dark-skinned West Africans and African-Americans tha
Related Questions
- Is it possible to conduct two different types of skin rejuvenation treatments during the same treatment session, e.g. fine lines and spider veins?
- For African-Americans and other darker-skinned people, is the treatment for psoriasis different than for people with light-colored skin?
- Why do people have different skin colours?
