Fitzpatrick skin typing: applications in dermatology.

Fitzpatrick skin phototypes were developed by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick in 1975 based on a person’s skin color and responses to sun exposure in terms of degree of burning and tanning. Though subjective, Fitzpatrick skin typing has a proven diagnostic and therapeutic value. It has been most commonly used to analyze the sun sensitivity in population-based and case-control studies related to cause of skin cancer, exposure to UV radiation, tanning, and protective behaviors.[1,2] The Fitzpatrick scale has been applied as a standard for self-assessment of sun sensitivity in self-administered questionnaires and has been shown to correlate well for white skin as compared to brown skin.[3] Skin phototype typing is widely used for estimating UV, PUVA, and laser treatment doses.