Fitzpatrick skin type, individual typology angle, and melanin index in an African population : steps toward universally applicable skin photosensitivity assessments

Abstract

Calculation of the individual typology angle (ITA) based on spectrophotometric measurements has been used to classify skin types into 6 physiologically relevant groups: very light, light, intermediate, tan, brown, and dark. This study directly compares ITA values with the melanin index (MI), which is frequently used in assigning Fitzpatrick skin type (FST), to improve understanding of how these measurements correlate when used in a study that primarily includes participants with FSTs V and VI.