Pigmentation patterns regarding the sun-protected and sun-exposed areas in African Americans may differ from that of Caucasians, suggesting that other factors may contribute to skin pigmentation in African Americans, a recent study found. Researchers examined colorimetry readings of the sun-protected buttock and sun-exposed back of forearm taken from 40 Caucasian and 43 African American subjects form March 2011 through August 2015. African American subjects also completed a questionnaire. They found:

• Forearm skin was lighter in African Americans aged ≥65 years vs 18 to 30 years but darker in Caucasians aged ≥65 years vs 18 to 30 years.

• In African Americans aged 18 to 30 years, the buttock was darker than the forearm, whereas in Caucasians the buttock was lighter than the forearm.

• A lighter forearm than buttock was correlated with supplement use, smoking (ages 18 to 30 years), and less recreational sun exposure (ages ≥65 years) in African Americans.