Why Indian Skin Has a Lower Tolerance for Aggressive Exfoliation
Melanin-rich skin, Fitzpatrick types IV through VI, which covers the majority of Indian complexions, produces pigment as a defence response. Any inflammation, including the micro-inflammation caused by over-exfoliation, signals melanocytes to produce more melanin. The result is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation: darker patches that appear exactly where you were scrubbing to get rid of darkness. A 2020 review published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology confirmed that skin with higher melanin density has a significantly lower threshold for inflammation-triggered pigmentation than lighter skin types, and that standard exfoliation protocols developed for Fitzpatrick I-III skin routinely overshoot that threshold.
