Fitzpatrick skin type

The Fitz­pa­trick sca­le divi­des skin into six types, mea­su­red by its reac­tion to the sun. Type I always burns and never tans; type VI is deep­ly pig­men­ted and prac­ti­cal­ly never burns.

Appli­ca­ti­on

In laser medi­ci­ne the skin type deter­mi­nes the choice of device, wave­length and ener­gy. With types IV to VI the­re is a hig­her risk of pig­ment chan­ges, which is why lon­ger wave­lengths and more cau­tious set­tings are chosen.

Good to know

The clas­si­fi­ca­ti­on also plays a role in asses­sing skin can­cer risk and in recom­men­da­ti­ons for sun pro­tec­tion. It descri­bes the pre­dis­po­si­ti­on, not the cur­rent degree of tan­ning, which has to be taken into account separately.