05/05/2026
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month 🤍
This is one of my favorite pieces of my beautiful mommy I can carry with me forever. I dug deep this last year in the origin of our name, and was able to pinpoint the specific city it originated from, time period, and even down to the original tribe of people. How amazing is that?!
This month honors the cultures, histories, and contributions of people with roots in Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Native Hawaiian communities. It includes a beautifully diverse range of identities, from East, Southeast, and South Asian backgrounds to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage.
As an esthetician, this month is also a reminder of how deeply heritage impacts the skin.
Your skin story goes beyond what we see on the surface. Heritage plays a major role in how your skin responds to treatments, heals, and produces pigment.
I’m fair-skinned with blue eyes and dark hair, which might visually place me in a lower Fitzpatrick Skin Type… but my Filipina background means my skin can behave very differently, especially when it comes to pigment.
So what does that mean?
Even if your skin appears “light,” underlying melanin activity can increase your risk for:
•Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)
•Uneven healing after peels, lasers, or aggressive treatments
•Increased sensitivity or delayed barrier repair
This is why consultation matters so much. Skin tone alone doesn’t tell the full story.
If you’re receiving treatments, here are questions you should be asking AND being asked:
• How does my heritage affect my risk for hyperpigmentation?
• Is this treatment appropriate for melanin-rich or reactive skin?
• What precautions will we take to protect my barrier?
• What should I avoid before and after to prevent unwanted pigment?
• How should my home care support healing?
There is no one-size-fits-all in skincare. Safe, effective results come from understanding the full picture of your skin.
Your heritage matters. Your skin deserves to be treated like it 🤍