What Gives Skin Its Color

Melanin is responsible for producing skin and hair pigmentation. Learn more about the function, benefits and types of melanin. Human skin color is influenced greatly by the amount of the pigment melanin present.

Melanin is produced within the skin in cells called melanocytes; it is the main determinant of the skin color of darker-skin humans. Our skin color is determined by a pigment called melanin, and while everyone has melanin (both fair and dark-skinned people), it comes in different forms and ratios. Melanin is a substance that melanocytes produce in the skin surface, which results in skin pigment.

Each person will have a different amount of melanin in their skin. Melanin gives your skin its color and shields it from UV damage, but theres more to this pigment than meets the eye. Learn how melanin gives skin its color, why dark patches form, and what causes pigment loss from UV exposure to hormones.

Melanin is a chemical pigment in the skin that absorbs ultraviolet radiation and limits its penetration into tissues. A suntan occurs when melanin pigments in cells in the deeper tissue portion of the skin are activated by ultraviolet radiation, and the cells migrate to the surface of the skin. Melanin is the pigment produced by melanocytes in the skin that determines our skin color.

Learn how melanin protects us from UV radiation, what factors affect melanin production, and how to choose the best sunscreen for your skin type. Melanin is the pigment that creates skin tone. It is produced by specialized cells in the lower epidermis called melanocytes.

These cells create melanin inside small structures known as melanosomes, which are then transferred to surrounding skin cells. Everyone produces melanin. The color of skin is influenced by a number of pigments, including melanin, carotene, and hemoglobin.

Recall that melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes, which are found scattered throughout the stratum basale of the epidermis.