REVIEWS   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2006 April;141(2):131-7

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

A new categorizing scheme for skin types

Baumann L.

Division of Cosmetic Dermatology Department of Dermatology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

The current understanding of skin types is based on the pioneering work of Helena Rubinstein in the early 1900s. However, this system, which identifies 4 different skin types - dry, oily, combination, and sensitive - does not adequately address the numerous and growing array of needs presented by modern patients. While the skin care product market has expanded exponentially into a billion-dollar industry, with commensurate improvements in sophistication in product formulation based on a continually growing knowledge base, the dermatologic establishment has lagged behind, failing to make discernible progress in more accurately characterizing skin types. Such an advance would assist patients in finding and using the skin care products most suitable for their particular skin type. Based on several yeas of clinical experience, I have developed the “Baumann Skin Typing System” contingent on the results of a 64-item questionnaire self-administered by patients. The system and corresponding questionnaire are founded on current classifications of skin based on 4 parameters: dry or oily; sensitive or resistant; pigmented or nonpigmented; and wrinkled or tight (unwrinkled). These categories are not, of course, mutually exclusive. Therefore, 16 possible Baumann skin types are identifiable from the permutations found among the standard 4 skin-type parameters.