Abstract

Skin color is a conspicuous trait regulated by complex metabolic processes and its significant diversity among Indian populations is quite remarkable making it an ideal choice for dermatological investigation. To elucidate skin pigment variation with respect to age, we studied 714 healthy individuals (aged 20-70 years) using CIELAB system. Skin reflectance was measured from the volar surface of upper arm using DSM II ColorMeter (Cortex Technology, Hadsund, Denmark) among population of Delhi, India to provide CIELAB color space values, L* (light/dark), a* (red/green), and b* (yellow/blue) followed by statistical analysis to examine the correlation between age and gender on skin on constitutive skin pigmentation. The studied parameters were observed to vary widely {L* (Range: 24.98-51.62, M=38.66, SD=4.41), a* (Range: 4.61-17.16, M=10.18, SD=2.03), and b* (Range: 20.16-34.83, M=28.93, SD=2.30)} across all age groups. ANOVA results suggest a statistically significant effect of age on skin lightness {F(4,709)=124.1332, p<0.001}, redness {F(4,709)=20.0594, p<0.001} and yellowness {F(4,709)=95.1434, p<0.001}. Positive correlation was observed between age and both hue (ho) {r(712)=0.9027, p<0.001} and chroma (C) {r(712)=0.9224, p<0.001}. Significant effects of gender were noticed on skin lightness among all age groups, along with skin redness below the age of 40 years (p<0.001). Notable color differences (∆Ε∗ab) were witnessed among males and females across all age groups in the studied population. The age group 21-30 years was found to have the highest ∆Ε∗ab value (3.5987), followed by 51-60 years (2.98), 31-40 years (2.5579), 61-70 years (2.1837), and 41-50 years (1.6639). We would like to highlight that skin lightness, redness, and yellowness differs significantly with age. Females were observed to be lighter in color as compared to males across all age groups. The findings of the current study would provide better understanding of skin color variation among Indian population.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.