Skin phototypes and their characteristics: discover yours

For centuries, skin color has determined social relationships and, in many cases, life and professional expectations of each individual. Although, fortunately, work is being done in many areas to combat any form of discrimination for this reason, this factor is gaining importance in the field of aesthetic medicine.Techqueer For example, when choosing a laser hair removal procedure. This is where skin phototypes come to the rescue. Do you know which one is yours and what type of laser is best for you? Keep reading because we will give you all the keys to a tailor-made hair removal.

What are skin phototypes?

When we talk about phototype, we refer to the ability of the skin to absorb solar radiation, and this depends on its tonality. Digitalknowledgetoday  During their classification, seven phototypes were established in the order of 0 to VI. This is what the Fitzpatrick Scale suggests, a numerical classification of skin color created in 1975 by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick (1919-2003), a dermatologist at Harvard University, and which serves to describe the response of various skin types to ultraviolet (UV) rays. light. ) Ray.Healthnutritionhints This classification was later modified to include skin types other than fair skin.

 

This tool takes into account four fundamental variables:

• Hair color

• Skin color

• Frequency of sunburn.

• A type of sunburn, that is, the natural darkening of the skin caused by exposure to the sun. This process occurs due to the production of melanin at the dermoepidermal junction - the very complex molecular structure of the skin - by so-called melanocytes, specialized cells that make up approximately 5% of the cells of the epidermis.

We continue to refer to this last point, since melanin is the main element to determine skin phototypes and, at the same time, to perform laser hair removal, since it serves as a conductor of laser light. Smartdiethealth  Melanin is a black or dark brown pigment that occurs in the form of granules in the cytoplasm, the part of the cell that surrounds its nucleus, of certain cells, to which the skin, hair and choroid owe their color. , which is tissue that is part of the middle layer of the wall of the eye.

Melanin plays an important role in absorbing ultraviolet and infrared (IR) rays and in capturing free radicals, which make up the majority of the sun's damaging effects. Healthfitnesschampion  There are two types of melanin:

• Femelanin, produced by dark-skinned people, helps protect the skin from the sun's rays.

• Redhead eumelanin is ineffective and can even be toxic, producing more free radicals than it captures.