Normal, oily, combination, sensitive and dry. These are the skin types you are familiar with, right? What if we told you that there is another way of classifying skin types, called the Fitzpatrick method? This method classifies your skin based on its sensitivity when exposed to sunlight. This method helps you understand your skin and its needs better.
Understanding what your Fitzpatrick skin type is will not only help you choose your products better, but will also allow you to customise your skin treatments and facials better.
To find out what type you are you can take the test here but first you need to know more about the classifications, read here...
- What is the Fitzpatrick skin scale?
- So how many classifications are there?
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 1
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 2
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 3
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 4
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 5
- Fitzpatrick Skin Type 6
What is the Fitzpatrick skin scale?

The Fitzpatrick skin scale was developed by a dermatologist, Thomas Fitzpatrick in 1975. This was a method to classify human skin colour on the basis of how it responds to varying levels of sun exposure. This helps you to understand the risks your skin has with UV exposure, tanning and other skin conditions and take precautions accordingly.
So how many classifications are there?

There are 6 types and they are simply named type 1 through type 6.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 1

The common characteristics are –
Skin: Very pale ivory skin
Eyes: light blue/grey/green
Hair: red or blonde
How their skin reacts to the sun: Always peels and burns, never tans and they usually have freckles.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 2

The common characteristics are –
Skin: pale to fair
Eyes: blue/green/grey
Hair: blonde
How their skin reacts to the sun: often burns and peels, sometime tans and sometimes they have freckles.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 3

The common characteristics are –
Skin: fair to beige with warm undertones
Eyes: brown/hazel
Hair: light brown or deep blonde
How their skin reacts to the sun: sometimes their skin tans and sometimes it burns.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 4

The common characteristics are –
Skin: light brown or olive tones
Eyes: dark brown
Hair: dark brown
How their skin reacts to the sun: their skin rarely burns, tans often and does not freckle.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 5

The common characteristics are –
Skin: brown or dark brown
Eyes: dark brown
Hair: dark brown to black
How their skin reacts to the sun: always tans and rarely burns
Fitzpatrick Skin Type 6

The common characteristics are –
Skin: deepest brown to black
Eyes: deep brown or black
Hair: black
How their skin reacts to the sun: never burns and always tans into a dark brown
Image courtesy: Pinterest
Written by Harshitha Prabhakar on 14th Sep 2019