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Skin typing based
on personal interrogation and skin reflectance measurements
Menzel, Eberhard1,3,
Kockott, Dieter2 and Sippel, Ruediger3
University of Applied Sciences Dortmund1
Kockott UV Technik2
MSS Elektronik GmbH3
Abstract-
Skin typing tends to be confounded by varying methodologies and definitions
of minimal erythemal dosages. Individual characteristics (eye color,
hair color, freckles, etc.) are coarse indicators of UV sensitivity,
which differs among the divergent skin types according to the level
of existing pigmentation, age, diet, and drug use as well. In contrast
to visual extrapolation, far more reliable, technology-based assessments
of UV sensitivity may be obtained by spectrally analyzing the reflectance
of the skin in the visible light range, and combining such measurements
as are gleaned therefrom with a questionnaire of personal physiological
attributes. A low-cost, handheld instrument has been developed that
measures the reflectance of light emitting diodes (LED) from within
the epidermis at selected wavelengths, and calculates the actual skin
type on the basis of the reflectance ratios. The measurement is supported
and corrected by a data-entry questionnaire of personal characteristics,
such as general skin behavior under sun exposure conditions, hair color,
eye color and preponderance of freckles. The instrument weighs the information
relative to those characteristics in such a manner that sunburn / suntan
contributes most to the calculation, and freckles the least. The skin
type then is numerically presented on an LCD readout. The instrument
will recognize the erythema potential of persons with an extremely high
sensitivity towards UV radiation (skin type I) and those who already
display erythema and should therefore not be subjected to further exposures
at the time of testing.
Keywords: skin
typing, skin reflectance measurement, personal characteristics, minimal
erythema dose
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