What factors determine the color of your skin?
1) The amount and kind (yellow, reddish brown, or black) of melanin in the epidermis
2) The amount of carotene (yellow) in the epidermis and subcutaneous tissue
3) The amount of oxygen bound to hemoglobin (red blood cell pigment) in the dermal blood cells.
Skin color is often genetically determined. Differences in skin color result from the amount of melanin produced by the melanocytes and the size and distribution of the pigment granules. Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis. Although darker-skinned people have slightly more melanocytes than those who are light-skinned, the distribution of melanin in the higher levels of the epidermis contributes to their skin color.
2) The amount of carotene (yellow) in the epidermis and subcutaneous tissue
3) The amount of oxygen bound to hemoglobin (red blood cell pigment) in the dermal blood cells.
Skin color is often genetically determined. Differences in skin color result from the amount of melanin produced by the melanocytes and the size and distribution of the pigment granules. Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis. Although darker-skinned people have slightly more melanocytes than those who are light-skinned, the distribution of melanin in the higher levels of the epidermis contributes to their skin color.
Melanin
Melanin can be found in the skin, hair, and the pigmented tissue underlying the iris of the eye. Production of melanin is stimulated by DNA damage induced by UVB-radiation. It absorbs the harmful UV-radiation (ultraviolet) and transforms the energy into harmless heat. This damage is what causes the development of a tan. Two types of melanin found in the skin are eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin produces a brown-black pigment while pheomelanin produces a red- brown pigment.