Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes in the skin and is the primary determinant of skin color in people with darker skin.
Skin color is influenced by the type of melanin present, UV exposure, genetics, the content of melanosomes, and other chromophores in the skin [16]. The presence of various 4 chromophore combinations influences skin color perception in part: carotenoids, melanin, oxyhemoglobin, and hemoglobin.
The basal cell layer contains cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce the skin coloring or pigment known as melanin, which gives skin its tan or brown color and helps protect the deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.
Skin color varies considerably from individual to individual and is generally determined by the presence of melanocytes, carotene, oxygenated hemoglobin, and local blood flow.
A person's skin color is determined primarily by the proportion of eumelanin to pheomelanin, the overall amount of melanin produced, and the number and size of melanosomes and how they are distributed.
Differences in skin and hair color are principally genetically determined and are due to variation in the amount, type, and packaging of melanin polymers produced by melanocytes secreted into keratinocytes.
The more melanin you produce, the darker your eyes, hair and skin will be. The amount of melanin in your body depends on a few different factors, including genetics and how much sun exposure your ancestral population had.
To reduce the excessive melanin deposits in your skin, your diet needs to be rich in antioxidants. Include healthy fruits and vegetables such as oranges, berries, tangerines, papaya, limes, kiwi, guava, lemons, mangoes, grapes, spinach, carrots, beetroot, broccoli, etc. in your diet regularly.
Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation, which is the result of genetics (inherited from one's biological parents and or individual gene alleles), exposure to the sun, natural and sexual selection, or all of these.
The first humans to leave Africa 40,000 years ago are believed to have had dark skin, which would have been advantageous in sunny climates. But humans did not uniformly develop light skin when they reached the colder regions of Europe.
Vitamin D is known to enhance the rate of melanin synthesis; and this may concurrently regulate the expression of furin expression. In silico analyses have revealed that the intermediates of melanin are capable of binding strongly with the active site of furin protease.
Although vitamin D is essential for skin health, its primary role is the promotion of melanin formation, which may cause more skin darkening.
Skin pigmentation, i.e., melanin, absorbs the UVR that initiates vitamin D synthesis, and hence decreases the vitamin D that is made for a given exposure compared to less pigmented skin. This has been observed in UVR intervention studies [7] and more generally.
Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. Most scientists currently recognize some 15 to 20 different species of early humans.
The most frequent skin color coded was white with pink undertones, which comprised 42.3% of the anatomical images. The second most prevalent color was pinkish brown, at 29.1%.
As people moved to areas farther from the equator with lower UV levels, natural selection favored lighter skin which allowed UV rays to penetrate and produce essential vitamin D. The darker skin of peoples who lived closer to the equator was important in preventing folate deficiency.
IT is not uncommon for two dark skinned persons to have a light skinned baby. Skin colour is a physical characteristic that is determined by genes inherited from one’s parents.
Darker skin can show age more slowly because it has more melanin (dark pigment that determines sun sensitivity). The more melanin you have, the more protection you have against photoaging, or skin damage from too much exposure to the sun's rays.
The short answer is, yes! A couple can have a baby with a skin color that isn't between their own.
You can use topical products to lighten your skin. These products reduce melanin and are commercially available. Prescription or over-the-counter skin lightening products often have the following ingredients: hydroquinone, kojic acid, vitamin C, glycolic acid, azelaic acid, retinoid.
Vitamin C is a naturally occurring substance and an essential nutrient. It has various biological and pharmaceutical functions. It inhibits melanin synthesis through downregulation of tyrosinase enzyme activity.