There are many skin tone names and skin tone colors including, more than just black, white, brown and yellow. See our list of 25 skin tone names. Skin discoloration looks different on everyone, too.
Discolored skin patches or spots can appear brown, red, white, pink, purple or black depending on your skin tone and the reason for the discoloration. Many things cause your skin's pigment or coloring to change. Human skin color ranges from the darkest brown to the lightest hues.
Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation, which is largely the result of genetics (inherited from one's biological parents), and in adults in particular, due to exposure to the sun, disorders, or some combination thereof. OVERVIEW In The Biology of Skin Color, Penn State University anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski walks us through the evidence that the different shades of human skin color are evolutionary adaptations to the varying intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in different parts of the world.
Our modern human ancestors in Africa likely had dark skin, which is produced by an abundance of the pigment. Skin pigmentation, which refers to how much melanin the body generates, determines the color of the skin. The two main types of melanin, eumelanin, and pheomelanin, are produced by melanocytes in the epidermal layer of the skin.
Learn how to color skin tones with colored pencils or markers with these 10 video tutorials. Learn new blending techniques and handy tips for coloring skin. Skin pigmentation refers to the color of your skin.
It's determined by the amount and type of melanin, a pigment made by specialized skin cells known as melanocytes. Changes in melanin production can cause pigment disorders, such as hyperpigmentation (dark spots), hypopigmentation (light spots), depigmentation (white spots or patches). Human skin - Pigmentation, Melanin, UV Rays: The human skin is variously coloured and shows remarkable individual variations even within racial groups.
The appearance of the skin is partly due to the reddish pigment in the blood of the superficial vessels. In the main, however, it is determined by melanin, a pigment manufactured by dendritic cells called melanocytes, found among the basal. How Skin Color is Determined Regardless of background, every person has largely the same number of melanocytes, but the genetics of each person is what determines how much melanin is produced and how it is distributed throughout the skin.
For example, light skinned individuals may have darker places like nipples and moles. Skin color is a polygenic trait, meaning multiple genes contribute to its variation. Additionally, other factors like diet, cultural practices, and interbreeding between populations can also influence the variation in skin color.
Scientists continue to research and uncover the intricate genetic and evolutionary mechanisms behind human skin color.