Phototype and chromotype

Melanin differentially protects from the initiation and progression of threshold UV‐induced erythema depending on UV waveband

“…Volunteers were excluded from the study if they had sunlight exposure to their back in the preceding 4 weeks or during the study, if they took non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (three subjects) or steroids during the study, had a history of photosensitivity or were taking photosensitizing medications or if they had Fitzpatrick skin type V or VI. Skin types V and VI make it difficult to discern erythema from constitutive pigmentation when visually reading the MED (19, 20). Another three subjects were excluded because a simultaneous MED could not be determined for ssUV and either 290 or 310 nm UV, leaving 139 subjects who were included in the analysis (Table 1).…”