Measurement of cutaneous colour and assessment of skin type

Skin colour was evaluated in summer in 91 Caucasian volunteers by means of a Minolta Chroma Meter CR-200, a colour analyser for measuring the reflective colour of surfaces by the tristimulus system. All the subjects were classified for skin type according to Fitzpatrick and minimal erythema dose determined. The skin colour of the buttock was taken to be the constitutive skin colour, and that of the cheek the facultative skin colour. It was found that the chromaticity of exposed skin was noticeably different from that of unexposed skin, being situated to the right of the latter in the chromaticity diagram. This means that skin that is usually exposed to the sun has a more intense red component, presumably because of increased vascularization. Exposed skin also showed lower reflectance (Y) or lightness (L*) than unexposed skin, probably because of pigmentation. Hence delta Y and delta L* give an approximate idea of the tanning capacity of each subject. delta Y and delta L* of skin types II and III were greater than delta Y and delta L* of skin type IV. This means that, with chronic exposure to sunlight, even fair skin can achieve a reasonable pigmentation. It is concluded that constitutive skin colour is a more meaningful parameter than facultative skin colour in assessing skin type.