- Share This Post
- 0
- submit
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
The answer to the above question really depends on who you ask. A dermatologist will probably tell you that there is no such thing as skin types. Someone who is trying to sell you a skincare product would tell you otherwise.
Instead of looking at skin as dry, combination, or oily dermatologists use the Fitzpatrick skin chart as their guide to determine the best course of treatment for their patients. This classification was developed by Harvard dermatologist T.B. Fitzpatrick in 1975 and measures an individual’s response to sun exposure. See the chart below:
| TYPE I: | Highly sun-sensitive, always burns, never tans. Example: Very pale Caucasian, freckles, or Albino |
| TYPE II: | Very sun-sensitive, burns easily, tans minimally. Example: Fair-skinned Caucasian |
| TYPE III: | Sun-sensitive skin, sometimes burns, slowly tans to light brown. Example: Darker Caucasian, European mix |
| TYPE IV: | Minimally sun-sensitive, rarely burns, always tans to moderate brown. Example: Mediterranean, European, Asian, Hispanic, Native American |
| TYPE V: | Sun-insensitive skin, rarely burns, tans well. Example: Hispanic, Afro-American, Middle Eastern |
| TYPE VI: | Sun-insensitive, never burns, deeply pigmented. Example: Afro-American, African, Middle Eastern |
Once a person’s hereditary, genetic, and sun exposure reaction is taken into account a dermatologist can have a better idea of what course of treatment would be best for a patient. Fitzpatrick classification is also used when one does laser hair removal, chemical peels, and all other laser treatments; what Fitzpatrick type a person is determines their course of treatment for those procedures. For instance there are some lasers that cannot be used on Fitzpatrick types 5 and 6.
To read the entire post please go to my blog: http://askanesthetician.wordpress.com
