"I'm a Black Dermatologist and I Need You to Stop Scrubbing Your Skin" (2025)

I’ve been a dermatologist in New York City for over 20 years, and many of my patients are Black, Afro-Latina, and Latina. In the past five years, I’ve noticed a concerning trend that worsened during the pandemic: Everyone is doing too much. The most common mistake that falls under this more-is-more umbrella is scrubbing the heck out of skin. I’ve come to realize that some of my patients think that they can scrub off their acne, dark spots, and unevenness. In reality, physical exfoliation—manually sloughing away dead skin cells via formulas with granules or abrasive pads—is too harsh. In fact, it can even make skin conditions worse. To be clear, I see this tendency in all my patients, no matter their skin color, but the damage is more apparent in melanin-rich skin.

You can and should exfoliate, but do so with a chemical, granule-free formula. I’m a huge fan of fruit acids, especially glycolic acid. It’s not the gentlest acid, but as long as you find a well-formulated product, it’s suitable for most skin types, and you’re going to see the best results. If you’re new to exfoliation, a glycolic acid face wash like Neostrata Resurface Foaming Glycolic Wash or Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser is a good option to help your skin adjust to acid exfoliation. When you’re ready to graduate to a leave-on formula, my ROSE Ingleton MD SuperFruit Exfoliating Tonic (8%) and the Replenix Glycolic Acid 10% Resurfacing Peel are two of my favorite options. To start, apply two to three times a week on clean, dry skin, and then ramp up to nightly if you can tolerate it. Be sure to wear sunscreen during the day.

One caveat: People who are prone to eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea may not be able to tolerate glycolic acid and should avoid it—and all exfoliation, really—during active flare-ups. If you have one of these conditions or super sensitive skin, consider an exfoliant with polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), like Neostrata Restore Bionic Face Serum, instead.

While I’m on a roll, here are four more common skincare moves on my don’t list:

DON’T try to fix all your issues simultaneously

A lot of patients have multiple concerns: hyperpigmentation (dark spots), dullness, and acne…so they buy a different product for each and layer them. This is how you end up with irritation and damage. There are active ingredients—acids, a retinol, or vitamin C, for example—in each, and your skin can’t tolerate all of them at once. If you have acne and hyperpigmentation, treat your acne first; ideally, see a dermatologist who can prescribe the best treatment.

Then, to address dark spots and dullness, here’s your routine: In the morning, cleanse your skin and apply your chemical exfoliant (remember to start out using it two to three times a week, increasing gradually up to daily use as tolerated). Follow up with a vitamin C serum (SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF is the go-to in my practice) and then a tinted sunscreen (like EltaMD Skincare UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46). At night, cleanse and then use a serum that contains tyrosinase inhibitors like kojic acid, alpha arbutin, tranexamic acid, and/or niacinamide for targeting discoloration (try Isdin Melaclear Advanced or SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense). Know that it can take weeks for any improvement; give these active ingredients a chance to work.

DON’T cleanse the same way morning and night

In the morning, wash your face with either just warm water (especially if you have dry skin) or with a gentle gel cleanser. At night, if you have sunscreen or makeup on your skin, use two cleansers: wash first with either an oil cleanser or a micellar water, and then follow that with either a gentle gel or cream cleanser.

DON’T believe that your melanin provides enough sunscreen

Many people with melanin-rich skin think they don’t need sunscreen. Incorrect! While it is true that melanin (and especially eumelanin, which is the type responsible for darker skin, hair, and eyes) has the ability to scatter and absorb UV rays to protect your skin against sun damage, it’s not complete protection. All skin tones should wear at least SPF 30 daily. It’s important for preventing discoloration and hyperpigmentation, which pops up as our skin ages. I prefer tinted sunscreens, which provide better protection against hyperpigmentation (dark spots) and melasma (patchy discoloration) because they block the visible light that comes from both the sun and artificial sources like your phone and computer screen.

DON’T go to just any skincare professional

If you are thinking about doing cosmetic treatments, make sure to find a licensed practitioner who has plenty of experience with skin of color. Lightly invasive procedures like chemical peels, microneedling, and laser resurfacing can be especially irritating for skin of color, so you want an expert who will know how to adjust the approach. For instance, some lasers, like IPL and CO2 lasers, are simply not suitable for darker skin tones, and using the wrong one can leave severe scarring and white spots on the skin. People with darker skin also have a higher risk of developing hyperpigmentation from intermediate and deep chemical peels. A good rule of thumb: Always ask your practitioner for before-and-after photos of their patients/clients with your skin tone, and whether the treatment you’re interested in has been tested on skin of color.