September 2024 • Vol. 30 • Issue 7
The Science of Skin of Color
T
…Roger L. McMullen
he science of skin of color focuses on understanding the morphological, physicochemical, and clinical characteristics of skin in individuals with varying levels of pigmentation. It is especially important in dermatology and in the development of personal care products when diagnosing and treating individuals with darker skin tones. Historically, more research has been conducted on lighter skin types, which has led to gaps in the knowledge base of our scientific understanding for skin types containing higher levels of melanin. In this article, we highlight distinct characteristics of melanated skin and address differences as compared to non-melanated skin.
n Geographic-Ethnic Origins of Skin of Color
Skin of color refers to a broad range of people coming from various ethnic and racial groups including African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern and North African, Indigenous Peoples, Pacific Islanders, and Multiracial Individuals.1 African descent refers to individuals often categorized as Africans, African Americans, and Afro-Caribbeans. Hispanic/Latino usually refers to someone from a Latin American country who is Indigenous, Mestizo (multi-racial), or Afro-Latino. People of Asian descent include East Asians (e.g., China or Japan), Southeast Asians (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.), and South Asians (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh). Indigenous Peoples refers to Native Americans, Indigenous Australians, Alaskan Natives, and other indigenous groups. Some researchers suggest not using the terms ethnic, Hispanic, or Asian to describe skin of color since they refer to non-specific groups of people.2
n Classification of Skin Tone
Typically, skin tone is categorized by the Fitzpatrick skin type scale according to its color and response to UV radiation (see Table 1). It should be noted that the Fitzpatrick scale broadly classifies Type V and VI skin and should be updated and expanded to better represent darker skin tones.3, 4 The reader should keep in mind that other scales, based on instrumental measurements, have also been proposed as a means to characterize skin color type.5 Table 1. Fitzpatrick Skin Classification System Skin Type
Skin Color
Response to UV Radiation
I
Very fair, pale white skin
Always burns; never tans
II
Fair skin
Usually burns; minimal tanning
III
Medium or olive skin
Sometimes burns; tans uniformly
IV
Olive or light brown skin
Rarely burns; tans easily
V
Brown or dark brown skin
Very rarely burns; tans very easily
VI
Dark brown or black skin
Never burns; deeply pigmented
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NYSCC SKIN CARE INCLUSIVITY • SEPTEMBER 10th ...see pages 16-38 for more information.