Today, I visited
Wallis Sands State Park in Rye NH, with my family. As a sun-lover/beach-goer/summer-off diva, I try to wear sunscreen and be responsible most of the time....especially on my face (no premature wrinkles!) however, some people don't need to wear sunscreen as much as others. Why is this?!
Well to summarize: genetics and environment.
Everyone has a natural and unique skin color that they were born with. There are
many genes which make up skin pigmentation.
One day, when I was teaching Human Anatomy, we were discussing skin pigmentation and the conversation very quickly turned to race relations. Many of them, once they understood the biology of a pigmentation, thought it was very silly that people used this as a way to discriminate/alienate others. Our discussion could be summarized as follows.....
Within the bottom layer of our skin there are cells called melanocytes (-dark -cell). Each and every person on Earth has approximately the same number of melanocytes, despite the hue of their skin. (This really rocked their world!) Melanocytes produce melanin (a black/brown pigment).
The reason why people have different skin colors is because their melanocytes produce melanin at different rates. These rates initially are determined by your genetics and further influenced by your environment.....
For example, if your ancestors lived in Peru
, chances are you have darker skin- even if you live in New York City now. So ultimately, you have more natural sun protection- less need for topical sunscreen.Unfortunately, if your ancestors are from Poland, but now you live in Panama you probably don't have as much of this natural protection. Wear sunscreen!Don't forget vacations! If your ancestors are from Ireland and you are visiting the Dominican Republic for a week- Be on the look out for an increase in freckles! (simply clusters of melanin). Set a timer and re-apply sunscreen frequently!Melanin is nature's sunscreen! When the epidermis ( -outside -skin) is exposed to the sun, the cells need protection. That is when the melanoctyes are triggered to produce melanin. Tiny bits of melanin then move to the epidermis and gather to cover the cells' nuclei (the control center) to protect them from radiation and UV rays. Both are things that can change the structure of your DNA. (That is when things get a little scary - like cancer.) Anyways....
