Melanin is the pigment that gives skin, hair and eyes their colour,and is much more concentrated in these tissues in populations that inhabit areas nearer the equator. It also holds an important role in the body and protects cells from overexposure and damage by UV rays.
It is a pigment that is produced by cells known as melanocytes in the skin of most animals, including humans. This pigment comes in different shades, depending on the genetic makeup of the individual. It comes in two basic forms and can range from yellowish-red to dark brown.
Eumelanin is the most common form of melanin and is brownish in colour. The other basic form is called pheomelanin, which produces reddish-brown color that is often associated with freckles and red hair. The production of melanin in the individual is determined by several factors:
However, if it provides such a crucial role in the protection of tissues in the body then why doesn’t everyone possess high concentrations of it in their skin? Well, the amount of UVA and UVB reaching the surface of the earth diminishes the further away from the equator meaning it isn’t equally distributed.
Culled from Pulse
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