title: Skin color measurements in terms of CIELAB color space values.
abstract: The principles of color measurement established by the Commission International d'Eclairage have been applied to skin and the results expressed in terms of color space L*, hue angle, and chroma values. The distribution of these values for the ventral forearm skin of a sample of healthy volunteers is presented. The skin-color characteristics of a European subgroup is summarized and briefly compared with others. Color differences between individuals were identified in terms of one, two, or all three color-space parameters. Because the method is quantitative and the principles internationally recognized, these color-space parameters are proposed for the unambiguous communication of skin-color information that relates directly to visual observations of clinical importance or scientific interest.
authors.affiliation: School of Consumer and Applied Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Weatherall
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Coombs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D014796:Visual Perception