Abstract

Common methods for skin pigment characterization, especially the use of race or subjective scales, have significant limitations. When applied to the same cohort, different methods yield significantly different results, and some may overestimate diversity. Previously published ITA thresholds for defining skin type may not accurately reflect biological or clinical relevance across populations. We compared visual scales, self-reported race, and instrumental methods (like ITA and reflectance spectrometry) for skin color assessment in a diverse research cohort. Our findings underscore the need for standardized, objective metrics for skin pigmentation in clinical and biomedical research.