ABSTRACT
EXISTING SKIN CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS The best-known existing skin classification systems are the Fitzpatrick1 system and the Glogau2 system. The Fitzpatrick skin typing system was developed by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick in 1975, and, though subjective, it has had diagnostic and therapeutic value. This classification system denotes six different skin types, differentiated by skin color and typical reaction to sun exposure. The skin types are on a continuum and range from very fair (type I) to very dark (type VI), also depending on whether the patient burns or tans with sun exposure (Table 4.1). A major disadvantage of the Fitzpatrick system is that it fails to accurately predict a patient’s response to topical treatments as well as the ideal depth for chemical peeling or other resurfacing procedures.
