Your phototype,
and what it changes.
Most skincare advice assumes a light phototype. If yours is darker, part of that advice simply does not apply.
What it is
The Fitzpatrick scale sorts complexions by their reaction to the sun — not by their colour. It runs from I to VI.
Types IV to VI cover Mediterranean, South Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and African skin, among others.
Why it matters
It is not a question of colour
The difference lies in how the skin reacts to irritation, and in what it leaves behind. The same concentration of an active does not give the same result across phototypes.
Your three challenges
Post-inflammatory melanin
After inflammation, the skin produces more of it. That is what leaves the marks.
Collagen
A greater need for stimulation, which shapes which actives you choose and when you apply them.
Photoprotection
Daily, against UVA, UVB and blue light. No exceptions.
Swipe to see them →
This is the heart of the method
The G.R.A.S.S. method targets exactly these three points. It is not a generic routine adapted after the fact.
Who it is for
This page is for you if
- You tan easily and rarely burn red
- The marks left by a breakout take months to fade
- The usual advice feels written for someone else
What happens — and for how long
Post-inflammatory marks can persist six to eighteen months in phototypes IV to VI when they are not addressed in a targeted way. Every breakout, every rub can set off a pigment response.
What comes next
The practical consequence
Going slowly is not excessive caution: it is the method. Introducing an active slowly costs a few weeks. A post-inflammatory mark costs months.
Caution
Three habits
- One new active at a time — otherwise you cannot tell what reacted
- Do not pick or rub a lesion — friction alone is enough to leave a mark
- Protect from the sun — without it, everything else works at a loss