Inclusivity Is at the Heart of BIDMC’s Asian Skin Clinic

Inclusive Skincare Tailored to the Needs of BIDMC’s Asian Patients

Many patients of Asian descent feel it’s possible that if they step inside a skincare clinic, they may not see someone who looks like them and knows how best to care for their skin.

That’s not the case at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s (BIDMC) Asian Skin Clinic.

Our team of skincare specialists understands that people of Asian descent have unique skincare needs, including being more susceptible to certain skin conditions.

“I often treat patients with conditions such as keloids, hypertrophic scars, melasma, Hori's nevus (acquired bilateral nevus of Ota-like macules), post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and vitiligo,” said Dr. Hye Jin Chung, the head of Asian Skin Clinic.

Dr. Chung received training in both the United States and Asia. Even now, as a practicing skincare specialist, she continues to collaborate with experts in Asia to hone her craft and ensure she’s providing the most culturally relevant treatment options to her patients.

Culturally Sensitive Care to Meet Asian Skincare Needs

In addition to the conditions Dr. Chung listed above, it’s also typical for her team to see patients with the following:

• Eczema
• Melanoma
• Nevus of Ota
• Solar lentigines

There aren’t just differences in the likelihood of getting certain skin conditions, though. Her patients also have different responses to some medications.

“Asian patients tend to have higher skin reactivity to topical medications,” she said, meaning they don’t tolerate topical retinoids as well as those in other racial groups. Information like this helps Dr. Chung and her team design treatment options that actually work to deliver meaningful health outcomes.

Patients Leave the Asian Skin Clinic Feeling – and Looking – Their Best

Navigating culturally specific beauty standards is an important part of the work Dr. Chung performs at the Asian Skin Clinic. She acknowledges that Asian patients sometimes have different notions about which physical characteristics constitute beauty.

“Asian patients frequently seek treatments for lower face slimming to have narrow jawline and improving skin texture,” she said. Her team provides a range of therapies and procedures like these to ensure patients leave the Asian Skin Clinic looking like their best, most beautiful selves.

Learn more about the work Dr. Chung and her team conducts at BIDMC’s Asian Skin Clinic.