View source for Melanin

Melanin is the pigment found in skin, hair and the iris of the eye. <ref name="null">https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002256.htm</ref>It provides these&nbsp;with colour. It has two main functions: to provide colour in these organs and to protect them from [[UV light|UV light]]&nbsp;<ref>PubMed Health. 'Melanin - National Library Of Medicine - Pubmed Health'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0022690/</ref>. 

The pigment&nbsp;is produced in&nbsp;melanocytes&nbsp;on exposure to UV&nbsp;rays from sunlight, causing the skin to tan in order to protect the skin from damage. Melanocytes are found&nbsp;between the dermis&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;epidermis in skin. The more active they are, the more pigment will be made and the darker the skin will appear. <ref>http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/melanoma/about/the-skin-and-melanoma</ref> Mammals usually have a mixture of both types of melanin <ref>Hearing, Vincent J., and Katsuhiko Tsukamoto. ‘Enzymatic control of Pigmentation in Mammals’. FASEB J. 5 (1991): 2902-2909. Web.19 Oct. 2015. http://www.fasebj.org/content/5/14/2902.full.pdf</ref> 

There are three types of melanin: eumelanin, phaeomelanin and neuromelanin.The first&nbsp;causes brown colours and the most known,&nbsp;the second is responsible for&nbsp;reddish colours and neuromelanin is found in the parts&nbsp;of the&nbsp;brain. &nbsp;<ref>http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/melanosomes/melanin.html</ref> 

Skin pigmentation as well as epidermal thickness, DNA repair mechanisms, apoptosis and some other factors prevents DNA damage from ultraviolet light. [[Uv radiation|UV radiation’s destruction]] of DNA is one of the major factors causing skin tumours like [[Basal cell carcinoma|basal cell carcinoma]] (BCC), [[Squamous cell carcinoma|squamous cell carcinoma ]](SCC) and [[Melanoma|malignant melanoma]]. <ref>Brenner, Michaela, and Vincent J. Hearing. 'The Protective Role Of Melanin Against UV Damage In Human Skin'. Photochemistry and Photobiology 84.3 (2007): 539-549. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/</ref> 

Melanin is an important factor of&nbsp;skin condition known as Vitiligo. This condition affects approximately 0.1-2%&nbsp;of individuals in vary populations across the globe. It as an autoimmune disease whereby&nbsp;the&nbsp;individual would lose melanocyte activity for the production of Melanin resulting in hypopigmentation.<ref name="Different Advanced Therapeutic Approaches to Treat Vitiligo.">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26756425</ref>&nbsp;This results in areas of skin with no pigment (Melanin)&nbsp;which creates white patches of skin across the body&nbsp;and can result in sunburn from minimal sun exposure.<ref>http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Vitiligo/Pages/Introduction.aspx</ref> 

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