Aesthetic Treatments for Skin of Color: What to Know and What to Ask

By the Get Clear Beauty editorial team · Published August 9, 2026 · How we research pricing

On the Get Clear Beauty Podcast, we sat down with Dyann Minton, a nurse practitioner and the founder of Blackbird Aesthetics in Fort Worth, Texas. Most of the conversation around aesthetics is built around lighter skin, and Dyann has spent years and a great deal of her own money training specifically to treat skin of color safely. Here is what she wants every patient to understand.

Why deeper skin tones need a different approach

Deeper skin has more melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment, concentrated in a smaller area. That extra melanin does not make the skin weaker, but it does make it more reactive to injury. When a treatment goes wrong, the skin can respond with hyperpigmentation, an overproduction of pigment, or hypopigmentation, where the melanocytes become so distressed that they switch off. As Dyann explains, hyperpigmentation can usually be lightened over time, but hypopigmentation is far harder, because you cannot put pigment back into melanocytes that have shut down. That single fact is why caution matters so much.

Prices vary by location and provider.

The Fitzpatrick scale is not about sunburn

Many people assume the Fitzpatrick scale simply measures skin color or how easily you burn. Dyann describes it differently: it is a way to predict how a person's skin will react under stressors, whether that is UV light, a chemical peel, or radiofrequency energy. She asks patients where their parents and grandparents are from, because someone who looks lighter can still carry the melanocyte activity that leads to hyperpigmentation. Knowing where a patient truly falls on that scale determines how conservative a provider needs to be.

The treatments that carry the most risk

Dyann errs on the side of caution with anything aggressive or high-energy on deeper skin. Aggressive CO2 laser resurfacing and high-energy IPL both target pigment, and on pigmented skin that can mean scarring, hyperpigmentation, or the hypopigmentation that is so difficult to reverse. For chemical peels, she favors lighter peels done more frequently over a single deep peel, since most concerns for her patients, like acne and hyperpigmentation, live in the upper layers of the skin and do not require the injury of a deep peel.

Sunscreen is not optional

There is an old belief that darker skin does not need sunscreen because melanin is already a protector. Dyann is direct that this is false. Melanin actually absorbs more of the sun, and skin cancers in people of color are often caught at a more advanced stage. For melasma specifically, she recommends a sunscreen with iron oxides and zinc oxide, which both shield the skin and help reduce pigment production. Many tinted sunscreens already contain iron oxide, which is why some of her patients wear one in place of foundation.

Keloids, scarring, and melasma

Deeper skin can be more prone to keloids because the skin renews and proliferates faster, building layers of protective scaffolding over an injury. Dyann treats existing keloids with steroid injections to calm the inflammation, and she is a believer in silicone scar strips, which signal to the skin that the area is protected so it stops overbuilding. Melasma, she explains, is a chronic condition driven by melanocytes switching on from heat, hormones, or sun, and she treats it least-aggressive first, starting with sun protection before anything stronger.

Everything takes a little longer, and that is the point

A theme ran through the whole conversation: for patients of color, most treatments are available, but the safe path is a slower one. Dyann spot-tests new lasers and peels on lighter, medium, and darker areas of the skin and waits two weeks before proceeding. Laser hair removal is a good example. The standard course is around six sessions, but for a Fitzpatrick six she plans for ten to twelve at lower energy, because the laser targets color and darker skin requires more care and patience.

The questions every patient of color should ask

Dyann's advice is to interview your provider, because aesthetics is elective and you are always free to walk away. The questions she recommends are specific: Have you treated skin that looks like mine? Have you ever caused hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation, and if so, what did you do to correct it? A good provider welcomes those questions.

She also named clear red flags. A provider who uses the same laser settings on everyone is a warning sign, as is one who skips a real consultation, never asks about your pigment history, offers no sunscreen or pre- and post-care guidance, refuses to spot-test, rushes your appointment, or guarantees results. As Dyann puts it, aesthetics is practicing medicine, and no honest provider can promise a guarantee.

If laser hair removal is on your list, the number of sessions and the price both matter, so compare real laser hair removal prices from providers near you on our laser hair removal price guide.

Thank you to Dyann Minton for a genuinely eye-opening conversation. You can find her at Blackbird Aesthetics in Fort Worth, Texas, on Instagram at @BlackBirdAestheticsLLC, on TikTok at @Dyann85RN, and at blackbirdaestheticsdfw.com.

This article is for general education about aesthetic treatments and pricing. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for a consultation with a licensed provider. Always confirm current pricing and suitability directly with a provider before booking.