Myextrashade Sun Protection

Melanin is the pigment that is responsible for our beautiful variety of skin tones and shades, eye colors, and hair colors. However, when we discuss melanin, that discussion rarely includes its actual biological benefits.
Not only does melanin provide pigmentation for human skin, hair, and eyes, it also provides protection against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays.
📌Protection against UV light: Melanin helps protect the cells of the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, from UV light. This protection extends to all forms of UV light (UVC, UVB, and UVA) as well as blue light. It does this by absorbing the UV light before it’s able to damage the sensitive DNA of the skin cells.
📌Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger: Melanin also demonstrates antioxidant activity by scavenging for reactive oxygen species produced via UV light damage. Without intervention from protective compounds like antioxidants, these ROS contribute to oxidative stress, which causes significant cellular damage.
It’s believed that there may be other mechanismsTrusted Source of action for melanin within the body, such as protection of the liver, intestines, and even the immune system.
However, research on these potential benefits is scarce, so pigmentation and photoprotection remain the two primary benefits of melanin for humans.⁠⁠⁠⁠