“I thought I was going to be a ballerina and a doctor,” said Dr. Natasha Sandy, a board certified physician with specialist training in dermatology. “I wanted to do both.”
Although she was qualified to do both, her father steered her in the direction of medicine. It came down to the idea that she would have a bigger chance at a long career if she focused on her aspirations to become a doctor. She facetiously added, “There aren’t too many Black ballerinas anyway.” What’s interesting to note is that Black dermatologists are just as few and far between.
As the first graduate of the Clinical Dermatology Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center, she is passionate about her field and being on the front lines of innovation. This particular type of fellowship is one of only two in the country.
When asked what sparked her interest in dermatology, she answered from a personal perspective: “I had my own skin issues, such as eczema and scarring, and I really just wanted to get to the root of the problem. I believe that skin issues affect your overall attitude on how you see yourself, and when I was younger, I was definitely insecure about my skin.”
The daughter of a fashion designer and an engineer, she was able to combine the visual and analytical approaches her parents exposed her to, which makes her perspective on dermatology that much more comprehensive. She said, “Dermatology is an access to the general health. By addressing people’s skin issues, you are able to get them to change things related to their general health.”
Sandy deems dermatology “one of the most innovative specialties” because there is still so much uncharted territory and reasoning, especially in terms of people of color.
She said, “Products aren’t marketed to people of color properly. We don’t even realize how many products we have access to because we aren’t necessarily considered a target audience. Culturally, we are used to believing misinformation.”
In an interview, fellow dermatologist Dr. Jeanine B. Downie of Montclair, N.J., highlighted the disparities for communities of color. “In each major city with a high population of people of color there are fewer than five doctors who fit this description,” she said.
It would benefit skincare companies’ sales to invest in developing skincare geared toward people of color, considering recent findings related to the U.S. population. According to the census bureau, Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans and Native-Americans will represent almost half of the American population by the year 2050.
The stigma attached to people of color is that we have problem skin. “We just have different concerns, and as a community we don’t understand how our skin reacts to elements differently,” said Sandy. “Black does crack. It just doesn’t crack the same way.”
With cultural competency and awareness, physicians can better understand their patients. For instance, scalp bumps might be attributed to heavy hair-care products that only Black people use. By simply telling a patient to stop using a product without an alternative, that physician has missed out an opportunity to understand the patient on a cultural level. Sandy pointed out, “You have to understand the person in order to get them to be compliant.”
In a New York Times article entitled “Treating Skin of Color with Know How,” Dr. Susan C. Taylor explained why the interest in Black dermatologists has grown. “The growing focus on skin of color is partly tied to consumers who seek out dermatologists who look like them, thinking that the doctors must know about their skin, hair and nails,” said Taylor.
The only way to bridge this gap of knowledge is to educate. Sandy has been a living example of her own personal motto: “You teach, educate and empower.” She has been active in curriculum development at both the medical graduate and postgraduate level. Serving as an active member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the American Medical Association, she regularly engages with her peers.
Although Sandy’s medical practices include a high-profile clientele, she also takes insurance. For more information, visit her website at www.drnatashasandy.com.