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Baumann Skin Type in the Korean Female Population

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Background To meet the need for a subspecialized skin type system, the Baumann skin type (BST) system was proposed. Objective To evaluate the distribution of BST types and influencing factors among Korean women. Methods BST questionnaires were administered to 1,000 Korean women. The possible responses were as follows: oily (O) or dry (D), sensitive (S) or resistant (R), pigmented (P) or non-pigmented (N), and wrinkled (W) or tight (T). The correlations of the BST with the subjects' age, location, ultraviolet (UV) ray exposure, drinking and smoking habits, and blood type were assessed. Results The OSNT, DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW skin types were the most common skin types (55.3%). The O, S, P, and W types accounted for 46.6%, 68.8%, 23.2%, and 31.9%, respectively. The proportion of the O and S type was the highest in Gyeongsangbuk-do (55.0%) and Seoul (77.2%). The proportion of the P and W type was the highest in Gyeongsangbuk-do (33.0%) and Chungcheong-do (39.0%). The O type decreased in the higher age group, whereas the P and W type showed a reversed tendency. In smokers, the proportion of W type was significantly higher than in the non-smokers (66.3% vs. 24.1%, p<0.05). Conclusion The 4 most common BST types were OSNT, DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW. In the comparison across the 4 BST parameters according to the age, region, smoking and drinking habits, occupation, blood type, and UV exposure, significant differences were observed. Individualized and customized skin care is required according to the personal skin type.
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SK Ahn, et al
586 Ann Dermatol
Received June 30, 2016, Revised December 30, 2016, Accepted for
publication February 8, 2017
Corresponding author: Sung Ku Ahn, Department of Dermatology, Wonju
Severance Christian Hospital, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Korea. Tel:
82-33-741-0621, Fax: 82-33-748-2650, E-mail: ahnsk@yonsei.ac.kr
T
his is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work
is properly cited.
Copyright © The Korean Dermatological Association and The Korean
Society for Investigative Dermatology
pISSN 1013-9087eISSN 2005-3894
Ann Dermatol Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 https://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2017.29.5.586
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Baumann Skin Type in the Korean Female Population
Sung Ku Ahn, Myungsoo Jun, Hana Bak, Byung Duk Park1, Seung Phil Hong2, Sang-Hoon Lee3,
Seong-Jin Kim4, Hyung Joo Kim5, Dong Hoon Song5, Pok Kee Min6, Ja Woong Goo, Tae-Hyun Kim,
Chang-Keun Oh7, Seung Hyun Chun, Sewon Lee, Yeol Oh Sung6, In-Bum Sohn, Hyung Jin Ahn, Kun Park8
Department of Dermatology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, 1Neopharm Co., Ltd., Daejeon, 2Department of
Dermatology, Dankook University Medical College, Cheonan, 3Department of Dermatology, Soonchunhyang University College of
Medicine, Seoul, 4Department of Dermatology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, 5Department of Dermatology,
Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 6Department of Dermatology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu,
7Department of Dermatology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, 8Department of Dermatology, Wonkwang University
School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea
Background: To meet the need for a subspecialized skin type
system, the Baumann skin type (BST) system was proposed.
Objective: To evaluate the distribution of BST types and in-
fluencing factors among Korean women. Methods: BST
questionnaires were administered to 1,000 Korean women.
The possible responses were as follows: oily (O) or dry (D),
sensitive (S) or resistant (R), pigmented (P) or non-pigmented
(N), and wrinkled (W) or tight (T). The correlations of the BST
with the subjects’ age, location, ultraviolet (UV) ray ex-
posure, drinking and smoking habits, and blood type were
assessed. Results: The OSNT, DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW
skin types were the most common skin types (55.3%). The O,
S, P, and W types accounted for 46.6%, 68.8%, 23.2%, and
31.9%, respectively. The proportion of the O and S type was
the highest in Gyeongsangbuk-do (55.0%) and Seoul
(77.2%). The proportion of the P and W type was the highest
in Gyeongsangbuk-do (33.0%) and Chungcheong-do
(39.0%). The O type decreased in the higher age group,
whereas the P and W type showed a reversed tendency. In
smokers, the proportion of W type was significantly higher
than in the non-smokers (66.3% vs. 24.1%,
p
0.05).
Conclusion: The 4 most common BST types were OSNT,
DSNT, DRNT, and OSNW. In the comparison across the 4
BST parameters according to the age, region, smoking and
drinking habits, occupation, blood type, and UV exposure,
significant differences were observed. Individualized and
customized skin care is required according to the personal
skin type. (Ann Dermatol 29(5) 586596, 2017)
-Keywords-
4 Parameters, Baumann skin type, Korean women, Surveys
and questionnaires
INTRODUCTION
The skin is a complex organ that protects its host from its
environment and concurrently allows for interactions be-
tween the host and its environment. With age and ex-
posure to harmful environmental irritants such as ultra-
violet (UV) radiation, the skin loses its functional integrity
and gradually becomes damaged. With the emerging need
for personalized and more tailored skin care, various
skin-typing systems have been proposed.
In 1910, Helena Rubinstein suggested a primary classi-
fication of skin types as follows: dry, oily, combination,
and sensitive. Although these skin type categories are still
widely used in the skin care industry, the lack of more so-
phisticated descriptions of skin conditions such as pigmen-
tation or wrinkles, and the discrepancies between sub-
jective and objective assessments raise the need for the
development of further subspecialized skin type categories.
The Baumann skin type (BST) system was proposed in
BST of Korean Women
Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 587
Table 1. Basic information of the subjects
Variable n (%)
Region (n=1,000)
Seoul 250 (25.0)
Gyeonggi-do/Incheon 250 (25.0)
Gyeongsangnam-do 100 (10.0)
Jeolla-do 100 (10.0)
Gyeongsangbuk-do 100 (10.0)
Chungcheong-do 100 (10.0)
Gangwon-do 70 (7.0)
Jeju-do 30 (3.0)
Age (yr, n=1,000)
2029 255 (25.5)
3039 253 (25.3)
4049 248 (24.8)
5059 244 (24.4)
Working environment (n=817)
Mainly indoor* 792 (96.9)
Mainly outdoor
25 (3.1)
Blood type (n=837)
A 299 (35.7)
B 216 (25.8)
O 229 (27.4)
AB 93 (11.1)
*Indoor occupation includes health-care providers, school
personnel, singer, designers, hair designers, or painters. Outdoo
r
occupation includes construction industry workers, military
personnel, sports instructors, transportation industry workers, taxi
drivers, and farmers.
20061, and it is composed of 4 distinct spectra, namely
dry to oily, sensitive to resistant, pigmented to non-pig-
mented, and wrinkled to tight.
Accordingly, we performed a descriptive study to identify
characteristic skin types among Korean women with the
purpose of determining the most common skin type and
ascertaining the regional and age-group distributions.
Based on the results of this study, the most characteristic
skin features of Korean women can be identified, allowing
for the provision of more discriminate and individualized
skin care for diverse skin conditions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Subjects
This study was approved by the Yonsei University Wonju
Severance Christian Hospital Institutional Review Board
(IRB no. CR316029). Data were collected from 1,000
healthy Korean female volunteers without skin disease
(Table 1). The subjects’ basic information was analyzed
according to the subjects’ age and location and data ob-
tained from Baumann’s questionnaire.
Baumann skin type questionnaire
The BST of each subject was determined by the ques-
tionnaire (representative parts of the questionnaire are pre-
sented as Appendix 1), which included 4 parts and a total
of 63 questions. In each part, the natural moisturizing ca-
pacity and sebum production of the skin, skin sensitivity
to external irritants, personal or family history of mela-
nin-related skin diseases, and tendency to develop pig-
mentation after injury or skin reaction to UV ray exposure
are evaluated. Each question can be answered with 14
points according to the relevance, and 2.5 points were as-
signed for ambiguous cases. After the questionnaire was
completed, a combination of the 4 parameters in each
part was used to assign one particular skin type to each
participant.
Distribution of the 16 Baumann skin types and
Baumann’s 4 parameters
The nationalwide distribution and age-specific distribution
were analyzed. For more detailed analysis, the distribution
of Baumann’s 4 parameters (dry [D] or oily [O], sensitive
[S] or resistant [R], wrinkled [W] or tight [T], and pig-
mented [P] or non-pigmented [N]) were compared accord-
ing to the subjects’ age and location.
Miscellaneous factors that may have influenced the
skin type distribution
In the BST questionnaire, information about smoking,
drinking, UV exposure, use of sunblocks, and exposure to
air pollution can be collected. In addition, information
about the subjects’ occupation and blood type was
collected. The relevance of these factors to skin type dis-
tribution was also investigated.
Statistical analyses
To compare the proportion of the subjects in each group,
the chi-square, Fisher exact, and Mantel-Haenszel tests
were used. IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0 (IBM Co., Armonk,
NY, USA) was used for the statistical analyses. A
p
-value
of 0.05 was defined as statistically significant.
RESULTS
Distribution of the 16 Baumann skin types
1) Nationwide distribution
The most common skin type among South Korean women
was OSNT, followed by DSNT, DRNT, OSNW, ORNT,
and DSNW (Fig. 1). The top 4 types accounted for 55.3%
of the subjects. Each of the other skin types comprised
SK Ahn, et al
588 Ann Dermatol
Fig. 1. The nationwide distribution of the Baumann skin type
in the Korean female population. The proportion of each skin
type is arranged in a clockwise, decreasing manner. Of the 16
Baumann skin types, the top 4 types account for 50%. O: oily,
D: dry, S: sensitive, R: resistant, P: pigmented, N: non-pigmented,
W: wrinkled, T: tight.
10% of the study population.
2) Regional distribution
In Gyeonggi-do/Incheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsang-
nam-do, and Jeju-do, OSNT was the most common BST,
as in the nationwide analysis. However, in Gangwon-do,
Seoul, and Chungcheong-do, DSNT was the most com-
mon skin type. In Jeolla-do, DRNT, which ranked third or
lower in other regions, was the most common skin type.
In most of the regions, the top 3 types comprised 50%
of the study population (Fig. 2).
3) Age-specific distribution
Among women in their twenties, thirties, and forties, the
most common skin type was OSNT, followed by DSNT
and DRNT. The OSNW type held the fourth rank among
women in their twenties and thirties. In those in their for-
ties, the OSNW type held the fifth rank after ORNT (Fig.
3). Among women in their fifties, DSNT, which was the
second most common skin type in the other age groups,
was the most common skin type, followed by OSNT,
which was the most common skin type in other age
groups. In addition, DSPT, which comprised 10% of the
women in their twenties and thirties, accounted for
10.4%, holding fourth rank (Fig. 3).
Distribution of Baumann’s 4 parameters
1) Nationwide distribution
In general, 53.4% of the Korean women were assessed to
have dry skin, and 68.8% had sensitive skin. Only 23.2%
and 31.9% of the Korean women had pigmented and
wrinkled skin, respectively (Fig. 4).
2) Age-specific distribution
The age-specific distribution of Baumann’s 4 parameters is
schematized in Appendix 2. In the twenties age group,
52.9% of the subjects had oily skin. However, the pro-
portion of subjects with oily skin decreased as age in-
creased, reaching 32.8% in the fifties age group. The dif-
ferences in the proportion of subjects with oily skin were
statistically significant between each age group (
p
0.001).
Among the subjects in their twenties, 71.4% had sensitive
skin, and the proportion reached its highest in the thirties
(75.1%). It decreased as the subjects’ age increased fur-
ther, reaching 62.3% in the fifties age group, with statisti-
cally significant differences between each age group
(
p
=0.011). The proportion of subjects with pigmented or
wrinkled skin increased as the subjects’ age increased,
reaching 29.5% and 36.9% in the fifties age groups,
respectively. For pigmented and wrinkled skin, the differ-
ences between each age group were statistically sig-
nificant (
p
0.001 and
p
=0.016, respectively).
3) Regional distribution
From the perspective of regional differences in skin type,
the oily skin type was the most common in Gyeongsang-
buk-do and the least common in Jeju-do (55.0% and
40.0%, respectively). However, the differences between
the groups by location were not statistically significant
(
p
0.05). The proportion of subjects with sensitive skin
type was the highest in Seoul (77.2%), and the lowest in
Jeolla-do (50.0%). The differences between each group by
location were statistically significant (
p
0.01). The pro-
portion of pigmented skin type was highest in Gyeong-
sangbuk-do (33.0%) and lowest in Gangwon-do (18.6%).
The proportion of those with wrinkled skin type was the
highest in Chungcheong-do (39.0%) and the lowest in
Seoul (25.6%). However, the differences between the pro-
portion of subjects with pigmented or wrinkled skin type
were not statistically significant between locations (
p
0.05). A detailed distribution of Baumann’s 4 parameters
according to the location of the subjects was schematized
in Appendix 3.
The distribution of Baumann’s 4 parameters was com-
pared according to the latitude of the location of the
BST of Korean Women
Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 589
Fig. 2. The distribution of the Baumann skin type according to region. (A) Seoul, (B) Gyeonggi-do/Incheon, (C) Gyeongsangnam-do,
(D) Jeolla-do, (E) Gyeongsangbuk-do, (F) Chungcheong-do, (G) Gangwon-do, and (H) Jeju-do. ORNT and DRNT accounted for
approximately 40% in most of the regions, except Jeolla-do. In Jeolla-do, the proportion of DRNT was twice that of the other regions,
and that of DSNT was half that of the other regions. O: oily, D: dry, S: sensitive, R: resistant, P: pigmented, N: non-pigmented,
W: wrinkled, T: tight.
subjects. The northern and southern parts of South Korea
were defined by using a cut-off of 37o of latitude. In the
southern part, the proportion of subjects with sensitive
skin was higher than that in the northern part (34.7% vs.
28.6%), a difference that was statistically significant
(
p
=0.041). The distribution of oily or dry, pigmented or
non-pigmented, and wrinkled or tight parameters showed
no significant differences between the northern and south-
ern parts of South Korea (Fig. 5).
Miscellaneous factors that might have influenced the
skin type distribution
Based on the data collected with the Baumann skin type
questionnaire, relationships between skin type distribution
SK Ahn, et al
590 Ann Dermatol
Fig. 3. The distribution of the
Baumann skin type according to
age. (A) Twenties, (B) thirties, (C)
forties, and (D) fifties. The proportion
of OSNT showed a decreasing
tendency as the age of the survey
participants increased. O: oily, D:
dry, S: sensitive, R: resistant, P: pig-
mented, N: non-pigmented, W:
wrinkled, T: tight.
Fig. 4. The distributions of the oily and dry, sensitive and resistant, pigmented and non-pigmented, and wrinkled and tight skin types
among Korean women.
and smoking or drinking habits, UV exposure, and blood
type were analyzed.
1) Smoking habits
Information about whether the subject was exposed to
smoking was collected. Any subject who was currently
smoking or indirectly exposed to a smoking environment
(current smoker’s wife, child, or a co-worker) was defined
as a smoker. Only subjects who were not exposed to any
smoking environment were defined as non-smokers.
Among the subjects, 18.4% were direct or indirect smok-
ers (Fig. 6). The proportion of the wrinkled skin type was
significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers (66.3%
vs. 24.1%,
p
=0.022). In addition, the proportion of the
subjects with an oily skin type was slightly higher in the
smokers (47.8% vs. 46.3%,
p
=0.023).
BST of Korean Women
Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 591
Fig. 5. Comparison of the Baumann skin type in the northern and southern parts of South Korea. The proportion of the sensitive
types was higher in the region with a latitude of 37 degree (*
p
=0.041). The proportions of the oily, wrinkled, and pigmented
types were higher in the region with a latitude of 37 degree but the differences did not reach statistical significance (
p
0.05).
2) Blood type, use of sunscreen, occupational UV ray
exposure, and drinking habits
The distribution of Baumann’s 4 parameters were ana-
lyzed according to the blood type of the subjects, use of
sunscreen, drinking habits, and occupational UV exposure.
However, no statistically significant differences between
groups were observed.
DISCUSSION
Since Rubinstein introduced the first skin type system in
1910, more personalized skin type systems have emerged2.
Introduced in 1975, the Fitzpatrick scale is focused on the
skin reaction to UV radiation. Therefore, it is highly re-
lated to sunburn or pigmentation tendency3. The Fitzpatrick
scale is so popular in the dermatological community that
it is almost considered as a synonym to skin type itself.
Among Koreans, according to the study of Youn et al.4,
the most common Fitzpatrick skin type is type III, and
types III, IV, and V account for 88.8% of the total
population. However, the Fitzpatrick skin scale has limi-
tations in that it cannot predict skin reactions to mechan-
ical trauma or laser treatment. Accordingly, a number of
skin type systems have been introduced for the purpose of
evaluating diverse skin conditions such as pigmentation or
treatment response5-10.
In 2008, Kim et al.11 claimed that the wrinkled and the dry
skin type were more frequently observed in Koreans who
were outdoor workers. However, these previous studies of
Koreans had their limitations in that they were based on
data from relatively small populations and that they relied
only on the Fitzpatrick scale, excluding other skin conditions.
Therefore, a more comprehensive study that can represent
the skin characteristics of the Korean population is
needed.
The BST system, which was proposed in 2004 by
Baumann et al., is being increasingly applied in diverse
fields1,12. The BST system has 4 distinguished parameters
that are highly associated with characteristic features of
skin. The dry or oily and sensitive or resistant types are as-
sociated with skin barrier function, and the pigmented or
non-pigmented, and wrinkled or tight types are related to
skin phototype.
In general, the most common skin type systems define a
person’s skin condition as dry, oily, neutral, or combina-
tion type13. According to previous studies, the dry and
combination types equally accounted for 30%, and the
oily and neutral types both accounted for 15% of the
Korean female population14. However, considering that
various combinations can be present in the forehead,
cheeks, and perinasal area, and diverse environmental fac-
tors may influence skin condition, a more sophisticated
method of diagnosis is necessary. In this study, the oily
and dry type accounted for 46.6% and 53.4%, respectively.
The description “sensitive skin” is commonly used by cos-
metics companies, but an established definition has yet to
be proposed. In general, sensitive skin implies increased
reactivity to external stimuli, including cosmetic prod-
ucts15. Manifestation of sensitive skin is owing to height-
ened neurosensory input, enhanced immune responsive-
ness, and disrupted barrier function. Sensitive skin is also
provoked by changes in cutaneous nerve endings, in-
creased neurotransmitters, abnormalities in neurotrans-
mission, or chronic injury of cutaneous nerve endings16.
Although the diagnosis of sensitive skin is highly sub-
SK Ahn, et al
592 Ann Dermatol
Fig. 6. Distribution of Baumann
skin type according to use of sun-
screen, drinking, smoking, and pro-
fessional ultraviolet exposure. The
proportion of oily type was signi-
ficantly higher in drinkers and smo-
kers, and the proportion of wrinkled
type was 2.75 times higher in
smokers (*
p
0.05).
jective, 55.7% of Korean women and 38.9% of Korean
men had sensitive skin in one epidemiologic study17, and
the proportion of men with sensitive skin is steadily in-
creasing18. Compared with the results of previous studies,
the proportion of women with sensitive skin in this study
is relatively high (68.8%). This result might be presumably
be due to the wide range of information including sensi-
tivity to cosmetics and history of allergy disease obtained
from the BST questionnaire, which results in more com-
prehensive evaluation of skin conditions that other
systems.
In addition, the proportion of women with sensitive skin
was the highest in Seoul. From the perspective of environ-
mental factors, these differences in frequencies may be
BST of Korean Women
Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 593
due to the degree of urbanization, air pollution, or the lo-
cation of the city. Although precise causation has not been
revealed, various environmental factors might have influ-
enced the differences in the distribution of sensitive skin
types.
Skin pigmentation can be evaluated by using the tristimu-
lus colorimeter, narrow-band reflectance spectrophotome-
ter, or DermaSpectrometer (CourageKhazaka Electronic
GmbH, Cologne, Germany). UV irradiation and skin pho-
totype play an important role in determining the pig-
mented or non-pigmented skin type. Using this parameter,
the possibility of skin pigmentation after dermatologic pro-
cedures such as laser treatment can be predicted. In pre-
vious studies, pigmented skin type was relatively com-
mon, comprising 80%4,19, an approximately 3-fold high-
er prevalence that that found in the current study. This is
partially due to the difference between the Fitzpatrick
scale and the BST system. In the Fitzpatrick scale, skin col-
or is the most important factor in determining skin type. In
the BST system, the pigmented skin type is diagnosed
based on comprehensive information regarding skin pig-
mentation tendency after trauma or pharmaceutical chal-
lenges, family history of pigmented skin disease, and skin
reaction to UV irradiation. Although approximately 80%
of Koreans have dark skin of Fitzpatrick type III or higher,
the proportion with the BST pigmented type, which is
characterized by vulnerability to pigmentation or pig-
mentary skin disease, is much lower.
In the BST system, the most distinguishing feature of the
wrinkled or tight parameter is that it is influenced by pa-
tient-modifiable factors such as UV protection, drinking,
and smoking. According to data from the Korea Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the female smoking
rate in South Korea has decreased since 2012 (7.9%),
reaching 5.7% in 2014. In this study, the wrinkled and
tight types accounted for 31.9% and 68.1% of the sub-
jects, respectively. Furthermore, the proportion with the
wrinkled type was significantly higher in the smoking
group (
p
0.05).
To broadly reflect the life patterns and medical history of
subjects when analyzing the distribution of Baumann’s
skin type, we collected not only the age of the subjects
but also subjects’ information such as sunscreen use, pro-
fessional UV exposure, and drinking and smoking habits.
ABO blood type was studied as part of the medical
history. Despite the effort to investigate the relationship
between this information and the distribution of BST, no
significant correlation was observed except for a few cases
such as use of alcohol and smoking and the distribution of
oily skin, and smoking and the distribution of wrinkled
skin. This might be because in this study, factors such as
the use of sunscreen or professional UV exposure were
only qualitatively analyzed by a yes or no question, and
the groups with and without sunscreen, and the groups
with and without occupational UV exposure showed a se-
vere imbalance in their numbers. Further studies that will
overcome these limitations are necessary.
The distribution of Baumann skin type except for the sen-
sitive type showed no significant difference between the
southern and northern part of South Korea. In March, the
UV indices in the northern and southern parts of South
Korea are 5.0 and 7.0, respectively, which means that the
probability of skin sun damage is 1.4 times higher in
southern South Korea than in the northern part20. Considering
that the correlation between UV exposure and the occur-
rence of sensitive skin types is limited, and that in this
study there were no significant correlations between UV
exposure and more closely related indicators such as wrin-
kled or pigmented skin, the effect of latitude on the dis-
tribution of skin type needs further investigation.
This study has its limitations in that subjective inter-
pretation could cause bias, especially in parts 3 and 4 of
the questionnaire. However, the concept of skin type itself
could be considered a matter of subjective interpretation,
and more importantly, each part of the BST questionnaire
consists of complementary questions that can provide a
comprehensive interpretation of the subject’s skin type.
For example, the skin pigmentation tendency is assessed
by objective criteria, such as personal or family history of
pigmentary disease and the exact number of nevus on the
sun-exposed areas. The result of part 4 is also calculated
from objective criteria, such as the frequency of UV ex-
posure, smoking, and consumption of vegetables and
fruits. Furthermore, given that the study was targeting
1,000 Korean women assigned proportionally according
to the population of each province of Korea, it has many
advantages over other studies.
In this study, the most common skin type in the Korean fe-
male population was OSNT. As the age of the subjects in-
creased, the proportions of the pigmented and wrinkled
types also increased, whereas that of the oily type de-
creased significantly. The proportion of sensitive skin was
highest (75.1%) in the thirties age group. The wrinkled
type was significantly more common among smokers.
The BST system can draw a comprehensive diagnosis of
skin conditions based on evaluations of moisturization
and sebum production, reactivity to environmental irrita-
tions, skin pigmentation after UV irradiation, and skin
tightness. From this, a more personalized approach to di-
verse skin conditions can be implemented. Further evalua-
tion of the mechanisms that link the related factors identi-
fied in this study is necessary.
SK Ahn, et al
594 Ann Dermatol
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This article was supported by Byeong-Deog Park, Neopharm
USA.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors have nothing to disclose.
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14. Kim CS, Chun IK, Kim YP. A study of skin surface lipids
analysis of the Koreans. Korean J Dermatol 1992;30:1-7.
15. Lee SH, Lee SE, Ahn SK, Hong SP, Kim HJ, Lee HK, et al.
Skin barrier. Seoul: Ryo Moon Gak, 2010:279-290.
16. Draelos ZD. Sensitive skin: perceptions, evaluation, and
treatment. Am J Contact Dermat 1997;8:67-78.
17. Ryu HS, Kim DW, Lee SJ, Na GY, Chung SL. Statistical
observation of sensitive skin and evaluation of subjective
irritation using lactic acid sting test. Korean J Dermatol
2002;40:874-885.
18. Farage MA. How do perceptions of sensitive skin differ at
different anatomical sites? An epidemiological study. Clin
Exp Dermatol 2009;34:e521-e530.
19. Chung JH, Koh WS, Youn JI. Relevance of skin phototyping
to a Korean population. Clin Exp Dermatol 1994;
19:476-478.
20. Fioletov V, Kerr JB, Fergusson A. The UV index: definition,
distribution and factors affecting it. Can J Public Health
2010;101:I5-I9.
BST of Korean Women
Vol. 29, No. 5, 2017 595
Part One (Oily vs. Dry)
1. After washing your face, don’t apply any moisturizer, sunscreen, toner, powder, or other products. Two to three
hours later, look in a mirror under bright lights. Your forehead and cheeks feel or appear:
A. Very rough, flaky, or ashy
B. Tight
C. Well hydrated with no reflection of light
D. Shiny with reflection of bright light
11. Two to three hours after applying moisturizer your cheeks are:
A. Very rough, flaky, or ashy
B. Smooth
C. Slightly shiny
D. Shiny and slick, or I do not use moisturizer
Part Two (Sensitive vs. Resistant)
1. You get red bumps on your face:
A. Never
B. Rarely
C. At least once a month
D. At least once a week
18. You get redness, itching, or swelling from make-up, sunscreen, or skin care products:
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Frequently
D. Always
E. I do not use these products. (Note: answer D if you don’t use them because of redness, itching, or swelling)
Part Three (Pigmented vs. Non-pigmented)
1. After you have a pimple or ingrown hair, it’s followed by a dark brownish/black spot:
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Frequently
D. Always
E. I never get pimples or ingrown hairs.
14. Do you have a history of melanoma yourself or in your immediate family:
A. No
B. One person in my family
C. More than one person in my family
D. I have a history of melanoma
E. Unsure
Part Four (Wrinkled vs. Tight)
1. Do you have facial wrinkles?
A. No, not even with movement such as smiling, frowning, or lifting my eyebrows
B. Only when I move, such as smiling, frowning, or lifting my eyebrows
C. Yes, with movement and a few at rest without movement
D. Wrinkles are present even if I’m not smiling, frowning, or lifting my brows.
Appendix 1. Baumann’s skin type questionnaire.
SK Ahn, et al
596 Ann Dermatol
21. What’s in your ethnicity? (Please choose best answer.)
A. African-American/Caribbean/Black
B. Asian/Indian/Mediterranean/Other
C. Latin-American/Hispanic
D. Caucasian
The questionnaire consists of a total of 63 questions, which is to lengthy to present in full in this manuscript.
Furthermore, according to the contract with the publisher, presentation of the whole questionnaire as supplemental data
is prohibited. Therefore the authors respectfully request that readers interested in the entire questionnaire refer to refer-
ence #1.
Appendix 2. The proportions of the subjects with oily, sensitive, pigmented, and wrinkled types according to age group. Younger
subjects showed a higher proportion of oily skin (
p
0.05 between each age group), whereas older subjects were more prone to
having pigmented and wrinkled skin (
p
0.05, between each age group). Sensitive skin type was the most common in subjects in
their thirties (
p
0.05, between each age group).
Appendix 3. The proportions of the subjects with the oily, sensitive, pigmented, and wrinkled types according to province. The
distributions of the oily, pigmented, and wrinkled types did not show significant differences according to region. The proportion of
sensitive skin was highest in Seoul and lowest in Gyeongsangnam-do. The differences of prevalence of sensitive skin type according
to province were statistically significant between each age group (
p
0.05).
... Although the Baumann skin type questionnaire is the most widely used in the eld of dermatology, it can lead to slightly different results due to the lack of accurate data matching from self-assessment and the fact that it does not re ect the lifestyle (culture, genetics, climate, etc.) of Asians 10 . In particular, there were signi cant differences between self-assessment and professional skin measurements in pigmentation and sensitivity among Koreans 11,12 . As a way of compensating for this, advances in dermatology have made it possible to understand the condition and aging process of the skin through instruments that measure a variety of clinical skin data 13,14 . ...
... The Baumann Skin Type Indicator (BSTI) is a self-administered questionnaire that allows individuals to determine their skin type among the 16 BSTI types, categorized into four categories: dryness/oiliness, sensitivity/resistance, pigmentation/non-pigmentation, and wrinkles/elasticity. All parameters and determination strategies were followed by the Baumann skin type indicator (BSTI) 11,12,18 . To complete the questionnaire, participants answer 60 questions and receive a score between 1 and 4 points for each question. ...
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