Part II. Measuring skin pain in humans: Quantitative, psychophysical, and patient-reported tools for dermatology

Quantifying skin pain is essential for dermatologic research and patient care. This Methods and Techniques in Skin Research article (part II) synthesizes human-focused tools spanning psychophysical and patient-reported measures. A standardized workflow for quantitative sensory testing (QST) outlines the measurement of thermal detection and pain thresholds, mechanical detection and pinprick pain, temporal summation, dynamic mechanical allodynia, vibration, and pressure; these techniques enable phenotyping of gain and loss of somatosensory function. Core patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) such as the Numeric Rating Scale, Visual Analog Scale, and multidimensional instruments are summarized alongside disease-specific measures, with emphasis on recall periods, meaningful change thresholds, and adaptations for special populations when available. Disease-focused sections outline nociceptive (eg, atopic dermatitis, wounds), neuropathic (eg, polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia), and mixed (eg, hidradenitis suppurativa) pain profiles, illustrating how pairing QST with PROMs enhances understanding. Objective markers such as evoked potentials, physiologic signals, and molecular biomarkers are reviewed, noting current limitations in standardization and clinical adoption. Future priorities include validation of tools across diseases and populations and the creation of guidelines for QST use in clinical dermatology. Together, these methods provide an actionable framework for harmonizing skin-pain measurement, improving trial comparability, and informing the development of targeted therapies.