Does anyone know what it means if you get acne marks that are not dark brown/ black as mentioned in the pigmentation part of the test? Does that mean they are completely different? The marks I get are more like what they show in the commercial for that neutrogena Acne Mark Fading Peel. They last for many months (maybe even over a year). When I get a bad cut, it will turn to a tan or light brownish color that can take over a year to go away too. I'm just confused about pigmentation I guess. I am pretty light (but not as light as someone like Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellweger). I don't go in the sun very much, but people in my family who do have freckles on their backs and arms from the sun and my dad has a ton of sun spots on his face as well. I've taken the test over and over but I guess I'm not really certain about what qualifies as what. I don't know if anyone would be able to help me to clarify what category it sounds like I fall in. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate your help. Thanks.

Does anyone know what it means if you get acne marks that are not dark brown/ black as mentioned in the pigmentation part of the test? Does that mean they are completely different? The marks I get are more like what they show in the commercial for that neutrogena Acne Mark Fading Peel. They last for many months (maybe even over a year). When I get a bad cut, it will turn to a tan or light brownish color that can take over a year to go away too. I'm just confused about pigmentation I guess. I am pretty light (but not as light as someone like Nicole Kidman or Renee Zellweger). I don't go in the sun very much, but people in my family who do have freckles on their backs and arms from the sun and my dad has a ton of sun spots on his face as well. I've taken the test over and over but I guess I'm not really certain about what qualifies as what. I don't know if anyone would be able to help me to clarify what category it sounds like I fall in. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate your help. Thanks.

It sounds to me that the marks you mention are due to hyperpigmentation. We all have differnt colors of melatonin, so it figures that the color of our hyprpigmentation might differ also.

I think Blondie's right.
My acne marks are more red than any other color, but they last months! I am assuming this is a pigmentation issue, and figures strongly in my score.
If I am wrong: Dr. Baumann, please, set me straight!!! I could be an "N", and don't know. although with a Sensitivity rating as high as mine, and very fair skin to boot, I don't know that being an "N" instead of a "P" would change much!

Still, inquiring minds . . .

Thanks for your opinions. I always thought the marks were considered hyperpigmentation before I took the test but since it seems like she only mentions the brown/black marks, I wasn't sure anymore. Actually, the only thing I am clear about with the test is that I have very sensitive skin. And I guess I'm slightly oily this time of year (hot and humid) and slightly dry the rest of the year. I'm not sure how many points before the border would be considered borderline where you jump to the other part of the category (from T to W, for example). Is it right at the border? Three points before the border? Is it the same for every category? Well, I'm sort of going beyond the topic of acne marks and pigmentation...

I struggled with this exact same issue (not knowing if there's a difference between the reddish "acne marks" and the so-called "dark spots" discussed in the book). This is why I don't feel I entirely fit into my skin type category. Even now I still struggle between my P and N score because I'm also fair-skinned and very good at avoiding the sun. I ended up eventually reading both chapters (OSPT and OSNT) and taking bits from both.