MODEL RELEASED. Face with fingerprint. Close-up of a man's face overlaid with a human fingerprint. This may depict the use of fingerprinting in forensic science to identify individuals, particu- larly criminals. The tiny skin ridges in the outer cornified (keratinised) epidermis on the fingertips form a distinct pattern unique to an individual. These fingerprint patterns are classified into four main types: loops, whorls, arches, and combinations of these three.