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Skin tone preferences and their influence on skin care behaviors

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Abstract

Knowledge regarding skin tone preferences and their influence on skincare behaviors among people of color is limited. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between ideal and actual skin tone among people of color and whether this difference is associated with tanning and sunscreen use. This was a one-time, voluntary, anonymous, electronic survey designed in REDCap and delivered through ResearchMatch, a national electronic, recruitment tool. Eligible participants were at least 18 years old and self-identified as Black, Asian, Latinx, American Indian/Alaskan Native or Mixed Race. In total, 548 completed survey results were analyzed using SAS. Only the Latinx population was found to have a significant preference for tanner skin (p < 0.05). The Latinx population had significantly more subjects that participated in outdoor tanning than both the Black (p < 0.0001) and Asian population (p < 0.05). Latinx participants who indicated a preference for tanner skin were 2.8 times more likely to never use sunscreen than those without this preference (OR = 2.821, CI = 1.029–7.732, p < 0.05). Our findings have implications for how dermatologists screen, treat, and educate Latinx and skin of color populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North St. Clair, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Jamie P. Sacksner, Trisha Kaundinya, Karishma Daftary & Roopal V. Kundu

  2. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Kathryn L. Jackson

  3. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Trisha Kaundinya

Authors
  1. Jamie P. Sacksner
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  2. Trisha Kaundinya
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  3. Karishma Daftary
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  4. Kathryn L. Jackson
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  5. Roopal V. Kundu
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Correspondence to Trisha Kaundinya.

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JS declares that she has no conflict of interest. TK declares that she has no conflict of interest. KD declares that she has no conflict of interest. KJ declares that she has no conflict of interest. RVK declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (The study was reviewed by the Northwestern Institutional Review Board and approved on 7/17/2018. (IRB number STU00207706)).

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The study was reviewed by the Northwestern Institutional Review Board and approved on 7/17/2018. (IRB number STU00207706).

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Sacksner, J.P., Kaundinya, T., Daftary, K. et al. Skin tone preferences and their influence on skin care behaviors. Arch Dermatol Res 314, 961–966 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-021-02320-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-021-02320-0

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