Unifying the spectrum: a framework for the meta-analysis of human skin tone scales

Significance

Quantification of human skin tone is fundamental to dermatology, medical imaging, computer vision, and social studies. However, the field currently lacks a standardized framework, relying on fragmented methodologies, from the Fitzpatrick skin phototype (FST) to the Monk skin tone (MST) scale. Even nowadays, this creates barriers to scientific progress and introduces systemic errors and bias in medical devices and AI fairness.