Bangladeshi skin type

People from Bangladesh are quite same as any other countries from South Asia. But there are important cultural factors about Bangladeshis for dermatologists to recognize.  Bangladesh has thousands of years of culture, with so many different ethnicity who have come to that country, ranging from the original indigenous people. Then there was invasion of people from Persia, Arabic countries, Greece and European influences in the colonial era.

It doesn’t matter whether we are of Asian, African, Native American and Latin descent; each of us has at least two things in common. The first is our beautiful brown skin. The second, discovered by sophisticated genetic testing, is that we all originated from one man and one woman in Africa. These first known people, who presumably had brown skin, migrated across the African continent (Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali), traveled into Southeast Asia and Japan, then on to Australia, New Guinea, and central Asia, and later into Europe and the Americas.

The Bangladeshi population is very diverse in terms of origin and skin hue and has light brown to dark brown skin. Why doesn’t everyone have brown skin? Anthropologists believe racial variations developed because of natural selection, enabling early humans to adapt to the particular environment to which they migrated. For example, darkly-pigmented brown skin color is due primarily to the presence of a pigment called melanin. This is most likely help to protect from the burning ultraviolet (UV) light rays.  High melanin content confers better photoprotection, photodamage. And melanin-rich skin helps a bit to protect from early signs of aging too.  People living north of the equator developed pale or white skin to ensure absorption of UV rays that promote vitamin D formation in the skin. Many individuals with brown skin have ancestors that lived near the equator.

Common Conditions

Hyperpigmentation and dark circles under the eyes are huge cosmetic concerns for people of Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladeshi — even very fair complexioned skin — behaves with a high incidence of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. And quite a bit of ashy dermatosis is also seen.

Acne scarring concerns

Dermatologists who try to treat acne scarring in South Asian patients are faced with the possibility of treatment-related pigmentary issues. Common treatment options, including chemical peels, mechanical abrasions, and even filler agents can result in PIH. The skin behaves with excessive sensitivity to the trauma.

Dark under-eye circles

The tendency Bangladeshis have for developing dark under-eye circles might have many risk factors behind. But all are speculation due to a lack of good research. Most treatments for dark under-eye circles have yielded disappointing results. But success can be gained with the Q-switched alexandrite lasers and to get pigmentary improvements the Fraxel (Reliant) laser can be usefull.

Energy level should be reduced while performing laser procedures with traditional lasers for these conditions. With the Fraxel Laser it traditionally means lowering the level of treatment but still using high energy.

Excessive Hair
Bangladeshis also tend to have thicker skin. Our skin is actually physically thicker which can lead to an increase in the number of hair follicles.  This explains why many South Asians have to deal with excess hair in areas that hair is not wanted.  Waxing can lead to burns which may lead to the hyperpigmentation. The safest methods for hair removal are threading and, for longer term, laser hair removal.  Many want to know what the best type of laser hair removal machine is for our skin type.  The Nd:Yag laser is best for melanin-rich skin and the number of sessions needed can be as many as 10-12.  It is helpful to have cooling along with the laser treatment. 

However, management of Bangladeshi skin requires different considerations to deal with and development of laser technology that protects epidermal melanin from damage makes laser surgery increasingly safe in skin of color.