Fitzpatrick skin type & scale test

Type I always burns and never tans — the palest end, often with freckling, at the highest lifetime UV-damage and skin-cancer risk. Type II burns easily and tans minimally. Type III burns moderately then tans gradually — the most common type among white populations. Type IV burns minimally and tans easily (olive and light brown skin). Type V rarely burns and tans deeply. Type VI never burns in ordinary exposure and has deeply pigmented skin — lowest UV-cancer risk, but not zero, and melanomas in dark skin are caught later on average precisely because of the "never burns" assumption.

The scale was built in 1975 by dermatologist Thomas Fitzpatrick to dose phototherapy, not to describe beauty shades — which is why it asks how your skin *responds* to sun rather than what color it is. It remains the standard for laser settings, phototherapy dosing, and skin-cancer risk stratification, and it is the type a dermatologist or laser tech will ask you for.

Types I–II: daily SPF 50, sun avoidance strategies actually matter, and any new or changing mole earns a dermatologist visit. Types III–IV: SPF 30–50 daily; you tan, but tanning is the damage, not protection from it. Types IV–VI: two specifics beyond daily SPF — post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation risk rises with type, so treating acne early and gently matters more, and laser/IPL settings must be adjusted for your type by someone who treats it routinely, because wrong settings cause burns and pigment damage. For cosmetic shade-matching, use the skin tone and undertone tools instead — that is what they measure.