Inside the Culture: The Diversity Gap in Skincare, Social Media Stigmas

During Black History Month, NBC 5 is highlighting local businesses and leaders making a noticeable impact in Dallas- Fort Worth.

Apryl Witherspoon is a nurse practitioner and owner of NWME Aesthetics in Carrollton, Texas.

NWME opened three years ago and quickly became the go-to place for skin care maintenance and natural aesthetics for all skin colors and types.

“We opened right up before the pandemic and by the grace of God, we’re still standing,” said Witherspoon. “It was an opportunity for us to you know, regroup, figure out organization in the business, and we’re able to continuously grow.”

While many businesses use different platforms to promote their products and services, social media has become the most popular in the culture and around the world. Although the platform is essential for information, it can also reflect negatively on many with the rapid spread of false information.

“Social media has been an excellent tool for us to be able to display what treatments that we offer and be able to show insight on what goes into an actual appointment,” Witherspoon said. “However, there is a lot of false information that is portrayed on social media, honestly. And I feel like that is a huge problem because people don’t take the time to go visit a licensed or trained professional, they automatically see whatever is going on on social media and they roll with that.”

Witherspoon recommends seeing a trained medical professional before you begin doing any popular DIY treatments seen on social.

“Some of them could be beneficial, but everyone’s skin is going to be different. And that’s exactly why I think it’s important that you go to a professional that understands not only your skin, skin conditions, your skin tone, type, etc”

“Society has given us this view of what beauty actually is and if we feel like we’re not meeting that standard, then I do see a lot of patients with anxiety, and depression,” said Witherspoon. “So that also just, you know, puts a little bit more fire in me to want to be able to please them, make them happy, and get them to a place where they are feeling more confident.”

All skin types are not equal, and the beauty industry has made those differences more apparent when it comes to people of color.

A study found that dermatology is the second least diverse specialty in medicine, and another saw that in 58 skin care studies, 75% of participants were white. The numbers find that the field has a significant amount of work to do to face this diversity gap that overlooks the BIPOC population which is concerning to Witherspoon.

“It actually is kind of disheartening to know that an individual can just walk into any Med Spa or dermatology office and have their professional really understand their skin tone or skin type or the pigment in their skin,” said Witherspoon.

Witherspoon also says that unfortunate things can happen with various treatments. Still, it’s important to understand that you need to be very cautious when it comes to any melanated skin and understand that not everything can be for anyone.

While the industry is not as diverse and is hard to break into, Witherspoon says she wants to continue to be a resource for other medical professionals and those looking for guidance.

“So I would like to be able to leave a legacy as a trailblazer in the aesthetic industry. I do training, I do medical spa consultations, mentorship, shadow opportunities because I want to remain a resource for those other medical professionals that look just like me, to let them know this too is possible for them.”

To learn more about NWME Aesthetics and its services, visit the website.