What Is The Function Of Melanin

Melanin is responsible for the eye, hair, and skin color, melanin also helps to protect the skin by absorbing UV rays, the amount of melanin in your skin determine your skin tone, certain factors can increase your melanin production which includes stress, sun exposure, harsh chemicals, medications, injury, etc melanin also help to protect the skin from UV damage, continue reading this article to acquire more information about the function of melanin.

What Is Melanin?

Melanin is a pigment in the body that is responsible for the pigmentation of the hair, eye, and skin. 

Types Of Melanin

There are two types of melanin in the body which are

1. Eumelanin: This type of melanin pigment is responsible for dark tones which include brown and black this type of melanin gives the pigmentation of the hair, eye, and skin.

2. Pheomelanin: This type of melanin pigment is responsible for alternate hues which include yellow and red, this type of melanin pigment is also responsible for the hair, eye, and skin color.

The production of melanin begins with a cell known as the melanocytes, these melanocytes are present in every part of the body, The melanocytes produce organelles which are known as the melanosome, the melanosome is responsible for the synthesis of both pheomelanin and eumelanin and these pheomelanin and eumelanin is been distributed to different cells which include keratinocytes which are found in the skin.

The level of melanin in the body is mostly determined by genetics, parents with a high level of melanin may have children with high melanin this is the reason why skin complexion differs within humans, melanosome is responsible for the different skin complexion.

What Is The Function Of Melanin?

Melanin has lots of functions in the body but the primary function of melanin in the body is the pigmentation of the hair, skin, and eye, melanin also helps to protect the skin from sunlight damage. 

1. Pigmentation: Melanin provides pigmentation for both humans and animals, melanin gives the hair, eye, and skin their color.

2. Protection Against Sun Damage: Melanin helps to protect the skin from sun damage, melanin help to absorb UV ray and prevent it from damaging the skin cells.

Causes Of Melanin Production

High melanin production is usually caused by excessive sun exposure, UV rays can cause damage to the skin cells by penetrating the skin, these UV rays penetrate the skin and causing damage to the DNA present in the skin cells, other factors can also result in high melanin production in the body which includes

Aging triggers the production of melanin in the body, during aging, the skin tends to become dry and scaly which can trigger the production of melanin in the skin.

Hormones are also responsible for the increase in melanin production in the body, hormone changes may be caused by varieties of factors it can be caused by pregnancy, contraceptive pills, abortion pills, puberty, etc during pregnancy the hormones tend to change which can cause an increase in melanin production thereby resulting in dark patches.

What Happens If There Is Increase In Melanin Production?

An increase in melanin production can result in hyperpigmentation, hyperpigmentation is the process where there is an increase in melanin production in the body which can result in dark patches. These dark or brown patches can occur in any part of the body but it is mostly seen on the face, neck, upper back, hands, chest, etc there are different ways to treat this hyperpigmentation on the skin which include the use of topical medication such as hydroquinone, koji acid can also be used to treat hyperpigmentation on the skin because of its lightening properties.

What Happens If There Is Decrease In Melanin Production?

A decrease in melanin production can result in hypopigmentation, and hypopigmentation is the process where there is a decrease in melanin production in the body, which can result in a skin condition known as vitiligo

Vitiligo is a skin condition whereby there is a decrease in melanin production the body does not produce adequate melanocytes which can cause white patches on the skin.

Albinism is also a skin condition where there is low melanin production in the body, this type of skin condition does not result in white patches, it may result in light hair, skin, and eye color, there are different types of albinism which is caused by different levels of melanocytes in the body.

There are easy ways to treat this hypopigmentation include the use of topical medication, the use of topical steroids can help to treat discoloration on the skin, laser treatment can be used to treat vitiligo on the skin, and laser treatment is the use of light therapy to remove the upper layer of the skin.

Conclusion: Melanin is responsible for the pigmentation of the hair, eye, and hair, which is the primary function of melanin, the increase in melanin can result in hyperpigmentation which results in dark patchesand a decrease in melanin can also result in hypopigmentation causing white patches.