Melanin

Kenai Diaz, Staff Writer

The sun is obviously a very key thing in our life. It’s the reason we live, it’s keeping us from freezing to death and it does more to our body than we think. The sun isn’t just important to Melanin people but also to other skin pigments as well. This article is about Melanin people.

Now for the people asking “what is Melanin people” and do not know, they are African Americans. Now the reason why I call us Melanin people is because that is what our skin is made up of.

Most people will either call us African American when some of us are not even related to African heritage or call us Black which is the furthest thing we are and here is why. The definition of black is the absence of light.  Melanin people are the furthest thing from that, instead our skin pigmentation absorbs the sunlight to either make us a deeper shade of Melanin or to protect us from the UV waves of sunlight.

Now for the people that wonder what makes Melanin and the science behind it, here it is. The proper science that produces it is from melanocytes situated in the basal layer of the epidermis. The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) is regulating the production of both eumelanin and pheomelanin, to produce the pigmentation known as Melanin. Besides giving protection to our skin from the UV rays, Melanin also gives pigmentation to our hair and eyes, which also absorb UV rays from the sun.

Here are some interesting facts about how Melanin works within the male and female bodies. Melanin in our eyes actually prevents AMD, “people with brown eyes appear less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than people with light colored eyes,” due to the Melanin. Protection from hearing loss, ”Scientists suspect melanin plays a role in how the body removes harmful chemical compounds caused by damage to sensitive hair cells in the inner ear”.

Women with Melanin actually have a higher chance of pregnancy and it states here, Melanin skin helps prevent folate depletion. Women need this for healthy eggs and for a baby to develop normally. Melanin women tend to have the lowest level of Neural Tube Defects which has to do with birth defects.

Being in the sun for people is important, it gives you nutrients and a lot of energy and is really important for Melanin skin. It helps with preventing wrinkles and old aged skin, most of us have probably seen or hear someone say the phrase, ”Black don’t crack,” and that is where it originates from. Melanin is a very important thing and should never be shun and look at as ugly and should be more appreciated for what it is.