Let us talk melanin!
The Fitzpatrick scale is a scale from I-VI based on the amount of pigment in your skin. I am being the lightest and VI being the darkest.
As estheticians sometimes our treatments manipulate the skin to create inflammatory responses to produce quick cell turnover. Inflammation is a response to threats like sun exposure, picking, aggressive rubbing, and specific treatments. This can be a risk for people who fall in Type IV-VI. People with darker skin types can develop hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, and potential scarring. That is why its super important for you and your esthetician to know what category you fall under to determine the right treatments.
Our body’s automatic response is to increase melanin production in the skin when an invasion is sensed. Therefore, we tan. The Fitzpatrick scale can help you figure out where you fall under if you burn easily, get red in the sun, or if you tan easily. Another important factor is your ethnic background. Even those who are very fair skinned but have a heritage of darker skinned can trigger melanocytes to overproduce pigment when stimulated.
