Question

What is the function of melanin in the skin?

Answer 1

The skin is a connective tissue that is present all over the body. It is the largest organ in the body and it protects the entire body and is also used for a sensory purpose. Melanin is a pigment that is found in the epidermis of the skin.

Complete answer:
Melanin is a dark pigment that is found in the epidermis layer of the skin. This pigment helps to lessen the effect of the UV radiation from the sun. It is produced in melanosomes in the skin. When we receive more sunlight, the amount of melanin in our skin increases to protect us from this radiation. Therefore this causes a tan on our skin.
Melanin content can also differ on the basis of geography. Individuals that are present closer to the equator generally have darker skin because those areas receive a lot of sun. The individuals that are found further away from the equator have lighter skin because there is less sun. Additionally, people in colder countries that have a lot of snow don’t get much sun at all. Thus their skin is light so that they can make better use of the sun that they do get.

Note:
The skin contains melanocytes which contains melanosomes that produces a pigment known as melanin. This pigment helps to dampen the effect of the UV radiation that is present in the sun rays. Thus when we receive more sun, our skin releases more melanin to protect us.