Inclusive and equitable language for skin colour in the British Journal of Dermatology: acknowledging our past and laying the foundations to move forward

Oyesiku, Linda, Dlova, Ncoza, Ahmed, Shehnaz, Owen, David R., Ingram, John R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5257-1142, Freeman, Esther and Jablonski, Nina G. 2024. Inclusive and equitable language for skin colour in the British Journal of Dermatology: acknowledging our past and laying the foundations to move forward. British Journal of Dermatology 190 (5) , 605–607. 10.1093/bjd/ljae064 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The field of dermatology must recognize that the language we use to describe skin colour has been profoundly affected by misconstruction and misattribution of skin colour naming with human group names, phenotype, phototype and Western racialization. The use of one term for a ‘race’ of people is an abnegation of the past 150 years of scientific progress.1 Skin colour nomenclature is a field of rapidly evolving research driven by multiple disciplines, in particular anthropology. While there is understandable urgency that cannot be ignored, it is important to avoid creating a multitude of new scales or terms that might add to the confusion. With the BJD’s commitment to global health and equity, we must acknowledge this challenge. A 2022 publication in the BJD by Singh et al. states, ‘As the sociomedical drivers of dermatological racial health disparities are increasingly discussed, morphological fluency must be met with fluency in cultural safety and anti-oppression.’2 Since its publication there has been further recognition of the issue from national academies, additional publications and meetings. We in the skin biology and dermatology community need to recognize that many skin colour terms still in use are pejorative, racist and ambiguous. Outdated, confusing terms prevent clarity and undermine the accuracy of dermatological research.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0007-0963
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	29 April 2024
Date of Acceptance:	17 April 2024
Last Modified:	20 May 2024 10:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/168465

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