EEMCO guidance for the assessment of skin colour

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Colour assessment of skin by visual inspection alone may be precise for a given individual although comparison between colours is only possible when they are viewed simultaneously. Subjective colour expression is also difficult to communicate with consistency. The limitations of visual observations may be overcome by colour-order systems and by instrumental measurements using either reflectance spectrophotometry or reflectance colorimetry following the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclariage) recommendations. Image analysis using sensitive colour video cameras is another accurate method to record and compare skin colours. The current instrumental methods have proven both sensitive and reliable. Numerical colour communication expresses colours more precisely than words and allows exact analysis of skin pigmentation and skin colour changes.The reader will be introduced to the origins of skin colours and with basic principles of their measurements. Methods of colour reading are reviewed with particular insight into practical procedures, pitfalls and correct interpretation of data.