Bae et al used the fingertip unit (FTU) to describe the skin surface involvement of skin disorders affecting the face such as vitiligo. The authors are from the Catholic University of Korea, Henry Ford Hospital and Eulji University.
Patient selection: facial skin condition
Number of Fingertips Units (FTU)
Percent of Facial Skin Area
Percent of BSA
1
0.9%
0.03%
2
1.8%
0.06%
3 (1 finger or thumb)
2.7%
0.1%
6 (2 fingers)
5.4%
0.2%
9 (3 fingers)
8.1%
0.3%
Larger Areas
Number of FTU
Percent Facial Skin Area
Percent of BSA
1 hand
32
28.6%
1%
2 hands
64
57.1%
2%
1 face (3.5 hands)
112
100%
3.5%
where:
• The handpalm rule says that a person's palm approximates 1% of body surface area.
• The area of the head in the revised Lund and Browder chart is 7.2% (male) or 7.7% (female).
• One hand consists of the palm and the 5 fingers (Figure 1).
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