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Fitzpatrick scale
Classification of skin color and response to UV light

The Fitzpatrick scale, created in 1975 by dermatologist Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, classifies human skin color to predict skin’s response to ultraviolet (UV) light. Originally designed to customize UVA doses for PUVA therapy, it uses patients' sun sensitivity rather than just hair or eye color. The scale divides skin into six types, ranging from very fair skin that always burns and never tans (type I) to very dark skin that never burns (type VI). It aligns roughly with the older von Luschan scale and corresponds with characteristics such as the freckled Celtic type and olive skin. The Fitzpatrick scale remains important in dermatological research and skin care.

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Emoji modifiers

Main articles: Emoji § Skin color, and Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs § Emoji modifiers

The Fitzpatrick scale is also the basis of skin color in emoji, with five modifiers according to the Fitzpatrick scale (types I and II merged).

Eurocentric bias

The Fitzpatrick scale has been criticized for its Eurocentric bias and insufficient representation of global skin color diversity.8 The scale originally was developed for classifying "white skin" in response to solar radiation,9 and initially included only four categories focused on white skin, with "brown" and "black" skin types (V and VI) added as an afterthought.10

The scale's methodology, relying on self-reporting of skin color, sunburn, and sun tanning response, fails to capture the broad spectrum of skin reflectance. Studies demonstrate that European populations have the narrowest skin color variation, whereas groups categorized as 'brown' or 'black' exhibit a much wider range.1112

The efficacy of the Fitzpatrick scale even among white-skinned individuals has been argued to be questionable,13 since studies such as that on a Dutch student population14 have found it inadequate for categorizing, challenging its appropriateness for investigating the relationship between sunburn tendency and tanning ability.15

The Fitzpatrick scale's Eurocentric orientation and its limitations in accurately representing global skin color diversity, along with similar biases in classifying other phenotypic traits, have been argued to require more inclusive and scientifically valid categorizations in dermatological and genetic research.16

See also

References

  1. Fitzpatrick, T. B. (1975). "Soleil et peau" [Sun and skin]. Journal de Médecine Esthétique (in French) (2): 33–34 ↩

  2. Fitzpatrick, T.B. (1988), "The validity and practicality of sun-reactive skin types i through vi", Archives of Dermatology, 124 (6): 869–71, doi:10.1001/archderm.1988.01670060015008, PMID 3377516 /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  3. Pathak, M. A.; Jimbow, K.; Szabo, G.; Fitzpatrick, T. B. (1976). "Sunlight and melanin pigmentation". In Smith, K. C. (ed.): Photochemical and photobiological reviews, Plenum Press, New York. pp. 211–39[ISBN missing] /wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources ↩

  4. Fitzpatrick, T. B. (1986). "Ultraviolet-induced pigmentary changes: Benefits and hazards", Therapeutic Photomedicine, Karger, vol. 15 of "Current Problems in Dermatology", pp. 25–38 ↩

  5. "The Fitzpatrick Skin Type Classification Scale". Skin Inc. (November 2007). 13 May 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2014. http://www.skininc.com/skinscience/physiology/10764816.html ↩

  6. "Fitzpatrick Skin Type" (PDF). Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. Retrieved 30 November 2017. https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3086/f/legacy/pubs/RadiationProtection/FitzpatrickSkinType.pdf ↩

  7. "What Is Golden Skin Tone? (With Pictures)". 9 March 2020. https://skincaregeeks.com/golden-skin-tone/ ↩

  8. Lasisi, Tina (2021-03-05). "The constraints of racialization: How classification and valuation hinder scientific research on human variation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 175 (2). Wiley: 376–386. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24264. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 33675042. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  9. Fitzpatrick, T. B. (1975). "Soleil et peau" [Sun and skin]. Journal de Médecine Esthétique (in French) (2): 33–34 ↩

  10. Fitzpatrick, T.B. (1988), "The validity and practicality of sun-reactive skin types i through vi", Archives of Dermatology, 124 (6): 869–71, doi:10.1001/archderm.1988.01670060015008, PMID 3377516 /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  11. Crawford, Nicholas G.; Kelly, Derek E.; Hansen, Matthew E. B.; Beltrame, Marcia H.; Fan, Shaohua; Bowman, Shanna L.; Jewett, Ethan; Ranciaro, Alessia; Thompson, Simon; Lo, Yancy; Pfeifer, Susanne P.; Jensen, Jeffrey D.; Campbell, Michael C.; Beggs, William; Hormozdiari, Farhad; Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata; Mokone, Gaonyadiwe George; Nyambo, Thomas; Meskel, Dawit Wolde; Belay, Gurja; Haut, Jake; Rothschild, Harriet; Zon, Leonard; Zhou, Yi; Kovacs, Michael A.; Xu, Mai; Zhang, Tongwu; Bishop, Kevin; Sinclair, Jason; Rivas, Cecilia; Elliot, Eugene; Choi, Jiyeon; Li, Shengchao A.; Hicks, Belynda; Burgess, Shawn; Abnet, Christian; Watkins-Chow, Dawn E.; Oceana, Elena; Song, Yun S.; Eskin, Eleazar; Brown, Kevin M.; Marks, Michael S.; Loftus, Stacie K.; Pavan, William J.; Yeager, Meredith; Chanock, Stephen; Tishkoff, Sarah A. (2017-11-17). "Loci associated with skin pigmentation identified in African populations". Science. 358 (6365). American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): eaan8433. doi:10.1126/science.aan8433. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 5759959. PMID 29025994. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5759959 ↩

  12. Martin, Alicia R.; Lin, Meng; Granka, Julie M.; Myrick, Justin W.; Liu, Xiaomin; Sockell, Alexandra; Atkinson, Elizabeth G.; Werely, Cedric J.; Möller, Marlo; Sandhu, Manjinder S.; Kingsley, David M.; Hoal, Eileen G.; Liu, Xiao; Daly, Mark J.; Feldman, Marcus W.; Gignoux, Christopher R.; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Henn, Brenna M. (2017). "An Unexpectedly Complex Architecture for Skin Pigmentation in Africans". Cell. 171 (6). Elsevier BV: 1340–1353.e14. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2017.11.015. ISSN 0092-8674. PMC 5884124. PMID 29195075. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884124 ↩

  13. Lasisi, Tina (2021-03-05). "The constraints of racialization: How classification and valuation hinder scientific research on human variation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 175 (2). Wiley: 376–386. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24264. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 33675042. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  14. Rampen, Frans H. J. (1988-06-01). "Unreliability of Self-reported Burning Tendency and Tanning Ability". Archives of Dermatology. 124 (6). American Medical Association (AMA): 885–888. doi:10.1001/archderm.1988.01670060031011. ISSN 0003-987X. PMID 3377517. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  15. Lasisi, Tina (2021-03-05). "The constraints of racialization: How classification and valuation hinder scientific research on human variation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 175 (2). Wiley: 376–386. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24264. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 33675042. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  16. Lasisi, Tina (2021-03-05). "The constraints of racialization: How classification and valuation hinder scientific research on human variation". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 175 (2). Wiley: 376–386. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24264. ISSN 0002-9483. PMID 33675042. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩