The need for a handbook on acne that specifically addresses the problems of the black population has at last been met. The author of Acne in Black Women is a dermatologist, he defines black skin as any skin type that is not White, and he states that although acne is rampant in young Black women, many of them do not undertstand the nature of the disease and what treatment is available. Readers must agree that this disease is very common. Dr. Persadsingh uses very simple language, colour photographs and many illustrations to describe exactly what is acne, its causes, and its treatment.

The book addresses the newer treatments like lasers and chemical peels. Older methods of treatment like facials and masks are discussed. The drugs used to treat acne are discussed and their method of working in the acne patient is described.

A key point of this attempt at public education is the fact that acne is a chronic disease and the patient will need to receive treatment for a very long time. Therefore, patience is the key to managing acne.

Acne usually occurs in the teenage years dying out in most people by the age of 25 or 30. Although Dr. Persadsingh makes the point that some women may develop acne at the time of menopause, some women will also develop acne if their hormones become unstable.

The handbook deals with the structure of the skin; the differences between white skin and black skin are explored and I liked his explanation that while white skin if it is damaged turns red, black skin turns black when it is damaged.

The complications of acne in black women are also discussed and their treatment. The black spots that arise after the acne goes and the best way of treating them are explored.

In conversation with Dr. Persadsingh, he says that a lot of the bleaching that our women are doing, is a result of frustration with not being able to treat the black spots that remain when the acne goes.

The second part of the book deals with the most frequently asked questions by the acne patient.

The appendices include a chart so that you can follow the progress of the acne, lists of the cosmetics and moisturizers that the acne patient can use, of the medicines that one can use in acne, of the cleansers that the acne patient can use and what should really appeal to Jamaicans, and of cheap medicines which are effective in acne. Acne carries a huge emotional burden and the book also addresses this.