A comparison of the ultraviolet B-induced erythemal response of back and buttock skin

Thirty-six subjects (dermatology patients and normal volunteers) were phototested on back and buttock skin to determine their erythemal response to a geometrically increasing series of doses of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. The minimal erythema doses (MED) were recorded at 24 h post-irradiation and dose-response curves were constructed. A significant difference in MED was found between the 2 sites, with a higher value for buttock skin (median 38 mJ/cm2) than for the back (median 25 mJ/cm2). The slopes of response for the 2 sites were, however, found to be comparable, and there was no correlation between the slope of dose response and sun-reactive skin type at either site. Buttock skin, representing the constitutional skin colour, may provide a useful site for phototesting, especially in otherwise tanned individuals, providing that full dose-response curves are analysed.