Diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry for skin phototype determination

• Published in: Skin research and technology Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 397
• Main Authors: González, F J, Martínez-Escanamé, M, Muñoz, R I, Torres-Álvarez, B, Moncada, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-11-2010
• Subjects: Adult; Arm; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Melanins - metabolism; Models, Biological; Skin - metabolism; Skin Pigmentation; Spectrophotometry - methods; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1600-0846
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2010.00450.x

The Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification scheme has become the standard method for assessing the reaction of the skin to solar stimuli; this method can be easily biased by different factors, such as ethnicity or chronic sun exposure.
Diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS) is an objective and non-invasive method used in this work to determine constitutive skin color from the upper volar arm as an objective way of measuring skin pigmentation. A DRS-determined melanin index that accounts for skin pigmentation was obtained for 35 subjects of Hispanic origin, this melanin index was compared with the physician-diagnosed and self-reported skin phototypes.
The results show that at least for Hispanic individuals, there is a clear clinical distinction between subjects with skin phototype I and their DRS-determined melanin index; however, subjects with skin phototypes II-VI have a large melanin index overlap.
Clinical assessment of skin phototype can be complemented by using DRS.