Are we due for a better way to classify skin?

For decades, Fitzpatrick Skin Type has been one of the most widely used tools for assessing skin. But Fitzpatrick was originally developed around how skin responds to UV exposure, and not as a comprehensive measure of skin color, ethnicity, pigmentation risk, or how skin will respond to every treatment.

As our understanding of skin has evolved, researchers have started asking whether we need more objective ways to describe and assess skin color.

Newer approaches have explored tools such as colorimetry, spectrophotometry, melanin measurements and expanded visual skin-tone scales, with the goal of describing the skin itself rather than using race or ethnicity as a proxy. These aren't necessarily ready to replace current assessment methods across the industry, but they raise an interesting question about where skin assessment could be heading.

If you could redesign the way we classify skin for professional treatments, what would you want the assessment to consider?