Fitzpatrick Skin Type
What is your Fitzpatrick skin type?
Before getting any procedure it is important to determine your Fitzpatrick skin type, which Dr. Aaron and Dr. Desarden will assess before creating your individualized treatment plan. Your skin type determines the laser settings. Incorrect typing can lead to laser burns which are extremely painful and can cause skin disfiguration.
The Fitzpatrick Skin Typing test was developed by American dermatologist, Thomas Fitzpatrick in 1975. The test takes in an array of factors to determine what laser setting is the correct one. Below is a sneak peek of the process we use to determine your Fitzpatrick Skin Type.
What is your eye color?
Skin type 1 tends to have lighter eyes like blue, gray, and green.
Skin type 2-6 will have darker eyes like brown, dark brown, and black.
What is your skin color in non-exposed areas
Skin type 1 have reddish to very pale skin.
Skin type 2-3 have pale to pale with a beige tint.
Skin type 3-4 will have light brown skin tones.
Skin type 5 will have brown tones.
Skin type 6 will have very dark brown tones
What is your natural hair color?
Skin type 1 tends to have sandy red, red, blond hair.
Skin type 2-3 will have darker blond, chestnut brown, brown hair.
Skin type 3-6 will have dark brown to black hair.
How does your skin respond to sun exposure
Skin type 1 always burns, never tans (palest; freckles)
Sking type 2 usually burns, tans minimally (light colored but darker than fair)
Skin type 3 sometimes mild burn, tans uniformly (golden honey or olive)
Skin type 4 burns minimally, always tans well (moderate brown)
Sking type 5 very rarely burns, tans very easily (dark brown
Skin type 6 never burns (deeply pigmented dark brown to darkest brown)
Do you have freckles
Skin type 1 has many freckles.
Skin type 2-4 might have several to few freckles.
Skin type 5-6 will have rare to none.
