Dark Skin Equals Slower Aging But Pigmentation Biggest Concern

Lucky you! Dark skin has many beauty advantages. And when it comes to wrinkles and sagging, you needn't worry for a number of years.

Why? Because women with dark skin have the most melanin and a relatively thick epidermis. So that means, pesky lines like crow's feet and laugh lines won't appear on your face that quickly, whereas a woman with fair or light skin, will notice premature wrinkling pop up in her younger years. Being blessed with extra melanin, is like having your own personal built-in sunblock.

"In general, the darker you are, the slower you age," New York City dermatologist Francesca Fuco tells InStyle magazine.

The beauty problems many dark-skinned women develop, have to do with pigmentation, dark undereye circles, and rough patches of skin.

So, how do you fight back? With early treatment---serums, creams, and yes, even daily sunscreen. But just because you have more melanin, doesn't mean the sun's rays won't affect you over time. We are all vulnerable.

"We dark-skinned women tend to lose elasticity as we age, because we often don't wear sunblock," says Jeanine Downie, a New Jersey dermatologist says to InStyle magazine.

The magazine article suggested the following beauty regimen to keep dark skin looking youthful and flawless:

1. Cleanser: Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser ($7, drugstores). This product is gentle on skin and contains soy, which evens out skin tone gently.

2. Eye Cream: Skin Medica TNS Illuminating Eye Cream ($80, at skinmedica.com). A bit pricey, but this eye cream is great at treating dark undereye circles with a high-tech formula that encourages collagen and cell repair. Jeanine Downie recommends this eye cream to many of her African-American patients.

3. Daily Sunscreen: Alyria Corrective Protection Sunscreen SPF30 ($40, at alyria-med.com). Another favorite of Jeanine Downie's. This sunscreen is full of anti-oxidants and completely disappears on dark-skin, after applying.

4. Treatment Lotion: Rx for Brown Skin Bright & Clear Lotion ($34, Sephora stores). A lightweight formula that is excellent at moisturizing skin and fighting acne, and at the same time, not inflaming skin. Made with salicylic acid.