Are Irish or North Germans lighter?

[Charlemagne7]

Germans appear to be blonder to me. I don't understand these big differences in skin tone people are talking about. I think genetically NW europeans have the same skin tone.

They don't:

[Septentrion]

Northern Germans due to their proximity to Scandinavian and Baltic regions, show higher frequency of blondism

[Latinus]

Blonder hair : Northern Germans
Redder hair : Irish
Lighter skin : Irish
Freckling : Irish
Lighter eyes : Irish ( 76% for North Germans vs 86% for Irish)




Let us not exaggerate the differences. These are similar people ( Northern Europeans).

They are similar, of course, but I think Irish display a bigger proportion of type 1 skin tone/colour than Germans, who can range more, and display more type 2 and 3.

[Septentrion]

Really? I do not think so. The Irish as a whole are the fairest - skinned people on earth. The Scottish are not too different, but I don’t think they are paler though.

[Septentrion]

I agree indeed. Skin type 1 is typically «Celtic», commonest in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

[Damião de Góis]

They don't:

Do you have any info about the methodoly that was used there? Because it's strange, most people in France are type IV? Also according to that the skin tone differences between Ireland and for example Denmark are huge. Are they really?

[Septentrion]

The mistake some of us has made is to immediately link paler complexion and lighter eyes with blond hair. This is only works when one compares Northern Europe with Southern or even Central Europe. However, within Northern Europe, it is not like that. The blondest regions of Scandinavia and the Baltic are definitely not paler - complected or necessarily lighter - eyed than the British Isles.

[Septentrion]

It is called skin phototypes. The French due to their geographic location are sort evened out in skin phototypes. French folks who are skin type 3 and 4 are about the same. And a considerable number are skin type 2 as well.

[Charlemagne7]

Do you have any info about the methodoly that was used there? Because it's strange, most people in France are type IV? Also according to that the skin tone differences between Ireland and for example Denmark are huge. Are they really?

No, but if I had to guess I'd say they measured underespoxed parts of the skin. French aren't mostly type IV, only 31,8 % of them are. The difference in skin color between Danes and Irish doesn't surprise me at all, Ireland receives much less sunlight than Denmark so it's only natural that its inhabitants are gonna be lighter. Irish have the highest frecuency of the MCR1 gene, which causes skin depigmentation. You're just getting tricked by the fact that Danes are much blonder than the Irish. It's not a secret that Scandos tan very well while the Irish usually just burn.

[Septentrion]

Skin type 1 is equivalent to Von Luschan # 0 - 6
Skin type 2 - Von Luschan # 7 - 13
Skin type 3 - Von Luschan # 14 - 20
Skin type 4 - Von Luschan # 21 - 27