Why does the human skin
have different colors?
Have you noticed that people form different countries and
race have different skin colors? For example, people in the northern Europe
have white skin whereas those in the western Africa
have black skin. People in the Southeast Asia
have yellowish skin. Do you know the reason for the variation in this skin
color?
Color of human skin depends on the pigments present in the body
The color of the human skin depends mainly on three
pigments or coloring materials found in the body. The first of these is called
melanin which is a brown substance. If concentrated, it appears black. The
second is called carotene which is a yellow substance. And the third is called hemoglobin
which is the red pigment of the blood. In the absence of these pigments the
color of the skin will be creamy white. The mixture of these three in different
proportions produces the different colors of the skin. A man having more
melanin will have dark complexion while the man having more of carotene will
have yellowish skin. Melanin and carotene are found in the deep epidermis in
all skin types.
The tissues of the body produce more melanin when exposed
to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight. That is why the color of the skin of the
people who live in tropical regions is very dark. When we work in the sunlight continuously
for days, our skin becomes dark. People living in the colder countries have
white skin, because their skin contains smaller quantities of melanin. The
deficiency of these pigments in the body produces white spots on the body. This
disorder is called leucoderma.
The color of the skin depends partly on the amount of
blood circulating through the dermis and the texture of the dermis. Since the
texture varies considerably in different people, the light that falls on the
skin is not always reflected in the same way. This is why the color of a person’s
skin varies from place to place.
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