====== Melanin and UV protection ======

In general, people with darker skin tones (i.e. with more melanin) are less likely to suffer from skin cancers triggered by exposure to high energy photons in sunlight.

>It has been traditionally believed that skin pigmentation is the most important photoprotective factor, since melanin, besides functioning as a broadband UV absorbent, has antioxidant and radical scavenging properties. [...] However, there is growing evidence that the relationship between pigmentation and photoprotection is far more complex than assumed.
>
>Source: [[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/|The Protective Role of Melanin Against UV Damage in Human Skin]] in //Photochemistry and Photobiology//, Volume 84, (3): 539–549.

Although it is known that melanin can very effectively protect against DNA damage from short-wavelength (UV) light, no scientific studies have so far pinpointed the exact mechanisms involved.

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Also see : [[content:life_sciences:human_body:moles]]

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