Thomas Fitzpatrick has done a great job of unraveling the mechanism of human skin pigmentation and creating the most convenient modern classification of phototypes of skin. Why has his approach become so valuable to dermatologists and cosmetologists?
Fitzpatrick was able to cast aside racial notions about the reaction of the skin to light, and showed that each person's skin is unique, regardless of their ethical affiliation.
It is on his classification that approaches to the therapy of hyperpigmentation are based today, as well as recommendations for PUVA and laser therapy.
On estet-portal.com read what underlies the Fitzpatrick skin classification, and what sun protection is recommended for different skin phototypes.
- What determines the phototype of human skin
- What is the Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification based on
- Features of skin protection from the sun with different phototypesх
What determines the phototype of human skin
Careful human skin studies have not revealed significant differences in actual melanocyte counts in people of different skin colors.
Racial differences in skin color are mainly due to differences in the rate at which melanosomes are produced in melanocytes and transported, distributed, and degraded in keratinocytes.
Clearly, skin color within each race also changes with exposure to sunlight. In each individual, the ability to regulate melanization of epidermal cells after exposure to sunlight reflects individual melanogenic potential.
This has become the basic concept of facultative and constitutive skin color.
Why hyperpigmentation gets worse and how to avoid it
Constitutive skin color denotes a genetically determined level of melanin in the skin in the absence of acquired exogenous or endogenous influences.
Facultative pigmentation, on the other hand, refers to an induced level of increased melanin in the epidermis as a result of solar radiation, hormones, or other environmental factors.
Thus, it becomes clear that it is not the race that should determine the skin phototype, since even within the same ethnic group, the reaction of the skin to the sun in different individuals can differ significantlyi.
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What is the Fitzpatrick classification of skin phototypes based on
The Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype System, originally introduced in 1975, is based primarily on how the patient describes their skin reactions after significant sun exposure.
Two simple questions and a two-level approach led to the creation of the modern Fitzpatrick skin phototype classification:
- "Do you burn out the first time you come into contact with the sun?";
- "Do you tan the first time you come into contact with the sun?".
Thanks to Fitzpatrick skin phototypes are not determined by race or ethnicity, but by a wide range of different responses to sunlight.
Fitzpatrick's skin phototypes are of proven value:
- first skin phototypes are one of the risk factors for developing melanoma, as well as skin cancer;
- skin phototype is widely used to estimate doses of UV, PUVA and laser treatmentsi.
Skin Phototypes: A Classification Every Beautician Should Know
Features of skin protection from the sun with different phototypes
The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) describes the approximate amount of time a person can be exposed to the sun without risk.
For example, if we can expose our skin to the sun for 10 minutes without burning, a factor of 15 will protect it for 2 and a half hours: 15 X 10 minutes = 150 minutes. With SPF 30 we would be protected (30 x 10 minutes) for 5 hours.
However, experts recommend re-applying sunscreen every two hours and after exposure to water.
Some areas of the body are more delicate, so use more sunscreen with a higher SPF in those areas.
Knowing your skin phototype is very important for understanding how our skin reacts to sun exposure and how we should protect it. Because the right protection guarantees the health and beauty of the skin.
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