Fitzpatrick Scale: Skin Tone Quiz

Benefits of knowing your skin color

The Fitzpatrick test allows one to understand which treatments will work best and which could cause unwanted side effects. By assessing the rating, one can determine what kind of results can be expected from an aesthetic treatment. Skin types IV-VI run a higher chance of pigmentation with treatments such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or laser treatment.

Knowing your complexion type is also important to evaluate your risk for skin cancer. Melanin in the skin absorbs and scatters energy from UV light to protect skin cells from sun damage. Types of pale skin with less pigmentation have less melanin and are more susceptible to harmful sun rays.

Discovering your skin type also helps when planning your wardrobe. Once you take this quiz to determine your complexion type, you can start researching what colors suit your skin tone so you know what articles and accessories to shop for.

Take the Fitzpatrick’s test used by Dermatologists to find out your skin type:

Quick Glance at the Skin Types

Fitzpatrick Scale Quiz

Instructions: Each answer has a numerical value next to it. Choose one answer to each question and add up the numbers associated with your responses. Scoring is available at the end of the quiz.

What color are your eyes?

0 – Light blue, gray, green

1- Blue, gray, or green

2 – Blue

3 – Dark Brown

4 – Brownish Black

What is your natural hair color?

0 – Sandy red

1 – Blonde

2 – Chestnut/ Dark Blonde

3 – Dark brown

4 – Black

What is your skin color (unexposed areas)?

0 – Reddish

1 – Very Pale

2 – Pale with a beige tint

3 – Light brown

4 – Dark brown

Do you have freckles on unexposed areas?

0 – Many

1 – Several

2 – Few

3 – Incidental

4 – None

What happens when you stay too long in the sun?

0 – Painful redness, blistering, peeling

1 – Blistering followed by peeling

2 – Burns sometimes followed by peeling

3 – Rare burns

4 – Never had burns

To what degree do you turn brown?

0 – Hardly or not at all

1 – Light color tan

2 – Reasonable tan

3 – Tan very easily

4 – Turn dark brown quickly

Do you turn brown after several hours of sun exposure?

0 – Never

1 – Seldom

2 – Sometimes

3 – Often

4 – Always

How does your face react to the sun?

0 – Very sensitive

1 – Sensitive

2 – Normal

3 – Very resistant

4 – Never had a problem

When did you last expose your body to the sun (or artificial sunlamp/tanning cream)?

1 – More than 3 months ago

2 – 2-3 months ago

3 – 12 months ago

4 – Less than a month ago

5 – Less than 2 weeks ago

Do you expose your face to the sun? (for the purpose of this quiz we have changed this question from the original: Did you expose the area to be treated to the sun?)

1 – Never

2 – Hardly ever

3 – Sometimes

4 – Often

5 – Always

Total up your points and match your score below to find your skin type.

FITZPATRICK SCALE QUIZ SCORE

0-7 = Type I

8-16 = Type II

17-25 = Type III

25-30 = Type IV

Over 30 = Type V-VI

Common characteristics of Fitzpatrick skin types

Type I – White skin color, blonde hair, and green eyes, always burns in the sun, has freckles. Common ethnic background: English, Scottish.

Type II – White skin color, blonde hair, and green/blue eyes, always burns, has freckles, and is difficult to tan. Common ethnic background: Northern European.

Type III – White skin color, blonde/ brown hair, blue/brown eyes, tans after several burns, and may freckle. Common ethnic background: German.

Type IV – Brown skin color, brown hair, and brown eyes, tans more than average, rarely burns, and rarely freckles. Common ethnic background: the Mediterranean, Southern European, Hispanic.

Type V – Dark brown skin color, brown/black hair with brown eyes. Tans with ease, rarely burns, and no freckles. Common ethnic background: Asian, Indian, some African

Type VI – Black skin color, black hair, and brown/black eyes. Tans, never burns, deeply pigmented, and never freckles. Common ethnic background: African.