What is a Skin Type?

A Skin Type is a rating of your sensitivity to sunlight. First designed by Dr. Fitzpatrick for phototherapy, the indoor sunbathing industry worked with Dr. Fitzpatrick to design a modified version for UV tanning. The lower your Skin Type number the more sensitive you are to UV light. For example, a Skin Type I person always burns and never gets a tan; this is why professional salons do not allow these people to tan indoors. A Skin Type I person should avoid sunlight as much as possible and not try to get a tan. If you’d like to know your Skin Type, go to TanResponsibly.ca. Knowing your Skin Type is very important if you decide to tan; all sunbeds are designed with an exposure schedule based on Skin Type so you don’t sunburn.