Skin types and Vitiligo

There are basically six main types of skin on the bases of the amount of melanin (a pigment producing skin cell, which is also involved in skin protection from the sun light and UV exposure). A person with certain skin types and vitiligo shows different risk to cancer and burning with UV or sun exposure. Thus, dermatologists generally classified skin types into following six categories on the bases of its tendency to burn.

Skin Types	Classification of Skin, hair and eyes Color.	Effect of Sunburn or Tanning.
Type 1	White skin or fair skin and Freckles, Red or white hair & Blue or green eyes.	Always burns easily & never tans.
Type 2	White skin, Light hair & Blue or brown eyes.	Easily Burns & tans minimally.
Type 3	Tends to have white skin, brown hair & Eyes.	Burns moderately & gradually tans to light brown.
Type 4	Brown to dark skin, Dark brown hair & Eyes.	Burns minimally & always tans well to moderately brown color.
Type 5	Brown to dark skin, Dark brown hair & Eyes.	Rarely burns & tans profusely to dark Brown color.
Type 6	Black-brown skin Dark hair Dark brown eyes	Never burns, deeply pigmented

It has also been noticed that, people with a darker complexion have more natural protection to sun burn, skin cancer and photo damage, then individuals having fair and skinned skin complexion; because of, the packing difference of pigmented molecule (melanin) and its actual amount in the skin of the people with different ethnic backgrounds.

Naturally, the people with very dark skin complexion (black) have high levels of melanin and a very high protection than the brown skinned people of Asians or people of mixed race.

One should take more care in intense sunlight, especially in hotter regions, because excessive exposure to the sun light causes thickening of the skin leading to wrinkles and premature ageing in people with different color race. The sun stroke also causes eyes damage and this effect of bright sun light is same for everyone.
For vitiligo patients, seeking tanning after applying psoralen agents, people with skin type 1,2,3 should take extreme cars as they have high chances of burning.

Type 1