Melanin's impact on skin behaviour: Effects across the pigmentary spectrum.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Variation in skin colour is the most noticeable of human characteristics yet skin's primary functions of sensing and providing protection against our environment are universal. The single most important substance for determining skin colour is the pigment melanin, produced within the skin by cells called melanocytes - and gifted to the surrounding cells of the epidermis, the keratinocytes - to provide protection by filtering ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun. Hence, the level of melanin within our skin not only determines its colour, but also plays a key role in determining the susceptibility of our skin to sun damage. In general, the more melanin there is in the skin, the more UVR can be absorbed, and more protection provided; people with highly pigmented skin have a lower incidence skin cancer than their lighter-skinned peers. Despite these differences, human skin studies aimed at understanding how skin behaves have typically focussed on the skin of white European people and have neglected the biology of more pigmented skin types. In recent years our fundamental knowledge of darker skin has started to expand and it is now clear that in addition to differences in melanin, skin structure and composition differs greatly between those with the lightest and the darkest skin. In this programme, research will focus on expanding this knowledge to truly appreciate the impact of melanin on skin function across the life-course. Our proposed research will assess skin behaviour across all skin tones, from the very lightest to the very darkest, identifying 1) the role of melanin in the organisation of skin tissue; 2) how the epidermis self-renews (through study of epidermal stem cell populations); and, 3) how melanin may confer protection against oxidative stress. Our ultimate goal is to use these learnings to provide better cosmetic products capable of delivering skin benefits which are inclusive to all people, regardless of their age, their sex or the colour of their skin.