While rosacea is typically thought of as a disorder that affects people with light complexions, it occurs in people with darker skin as well. An analysis of data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey found that of all patients diagnosed with rosacea, 3.9% were Hispanic or Latinx of any race, 2.3% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 2.0% were Black.¹ The researchers noted that people of color were less frequently diagnosed with rosacea even when they came in for the same exact reasons that led to the diagnosis for white patients. 

Inflammatory acne and rosacea are both common in Latin Americans, but because rosacea is usually associated with lighter skin tones, it is often missed or misdiagnosed in those with darker skin, according to a recent article in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.¹

A recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reviewed epidemiological studies of rosacea in people of color and offered tips on how to better recognize its signs and symptoms in darker skin.

While the treatment may be the same as in lighter skin, diagnosing rosacea in patients with dark skin types may be more challenging, according to Dr. Andrew Alexis, associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, during a session at the summer meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in New York.