Page 81 - LASERS & IPLS IN MEDICAL/AESTHETIC APPLICATIONS

Chapter 1 – Fundamentals of Medical/Aesthetic Lasers and IPLs v1.1
The ‘Fitzpatrick Scale’ and Skin Colour
● For around 30+ years the “Fitzpatrick Scale” has been used by laser and IPL users to determine the best parameters to use for a treatment.
● However, contrary to popular opinion, this scale does not represent the skin colour – it is supposed to predict the patient’s skin reaction to ultraviolet radiation.
Skin colour
High pheomelanin Low eumelanin Pale skin colour
Medium pheomelanin Low eumelanin Fair white skin colour
Low pheomelanin Medium eumelanin Light brown skin colour
Low pheomelanin Medium high eumelanin Moderate brown skin colour
Low pheomelanin Medium eumelanin Darker brown skin colour
Very low pheomelanin High eumelanin Dark brown to black skin colour
Risk of skin cancer
Greatest risk
High risk
Moderate risk
Moderate risk
Low risk
Very low risk
Sensitivity
Always burns, never tans
Easily burns, minimal tan
Moderate burns, tans
Rarely burns, tans well
Very rarely burns, tans well
Never burns, tans
Skin Type
Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
Type 4
Type 5
Type 6
Figure 43: The Fitzpatrick ‘Skin Type’ classification – based on the skin’s reaction to ultraviolet light energy
● Consequently, a patient/client can appear to have skin type 3 one day and skin type 5 two weeks later, when they have returned from a sunny holiday! But, they still possess a type 3 skin, even though it may appear darker in colour.
● This is not a good situation when trying to assess the best set of clinical parameters to treat skin problems.
● It becomes even worse when you consider the difference in people’s perceptions.
● One operator may decide a patient has skin type 2 while another may think it is type 3 – clearly, the current method is very subjective and prone to human error!
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Chapter 1 LEVEL A Fundamentals of Lasers/IPLs
© The Laser-IPL Guys 2021