Comparison of methods for characterizing skin pigment diversity in research cohorts
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 'dark' skin are too light and lead to under-representation of people with darker skin.
Authors
- Elizabeth N. Igaga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2190-2738)
- Isabella Auchus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2918-6606)
- Odinakachukwu Ehie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8436-8897)
- Carolyn M. Hendrickson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4662-2385)
- Kelvin Moore
- Tyler J. Law (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6141-4026)
- Jenna Lester (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1849-1082)
- Michael S. Lipnick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9978-1465)
- Philip E. Bickler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5077-4982)
- Olubunmi Okunlola
- Leonid Shmuylovich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9210-7873)
- John Feiner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6161-1209)
- Ellis P. Monk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3124-0990)
- Caroline Hughes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9144-6830)
- Gregory Leeb
- Danni Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1566-155X)
- Yu Chou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9907-0306)
- Ronald Bisegerwa
- Seif Elmankabadi
- Lily Ortiz
- Ella Behnke
- Fekir Negussie
Institutions
- San Francisco General Hospital (US)
- Brooklyn Hospital Center (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Harvard University Press (US)
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (US)
- University of California System (US)
- New York University Langone Orthopedic Hospital (US)
- Makerere University (UG)
- University of San Francisco (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- British Journal of Dermatology
- Published
- 2025-10-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/bjd/ljaf397
- Primary Topic
- Skin Protection and Aging
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- University of California, San Francisco