CHARACTERISTICS OF BLACK AND MIXED RACE SKIN

Each skin is unique and reacts in a particular way to the environment. While light skins are at high risk of skin cancer and dark skins are better protected from the sun's rays, there are specific reactions to each type of pigmentation. The skin can have different colours depending on where it comes from, there is no skin colour directly associated with any country or region of the world. In fact, there are all possible skin colours, due to the intermingling of populations. These colours are linked to the presence of more or less melanin in the dermis, a pigment whose role is to protect the skin against the sun's rays.Over the last ten years, the cosmetics industry has been interested in these differences and has tried to develop answers adapted to the specific demands of each skin type. In this article we focus on the characteristics of black and mixed race skin. 

The melanocyte the heart of skin pigmentation

The skin organ is made up of a multitude of cells that are very different from each other and have very specific roles. Among them, the melanocytes are the defence weapon against the sun. Inside the melanocytes are small corpuscles, the melanosomes, which produce melanin. It is this melanin that colours the skin. This molecule is a pigment that is transported to the upper part of the skin to absorb the sun's rays. Also to protect all skin cells from UV rays. The darker the skin, the more melanin is present. This is why skin cancer is found more rarely in dark-skinned people. In very light-skinned or redheaded people, the melanosomes produce a slightly different substance, called pheomelanin. It is often red, sometimes yellow, and provides very little protection against UV radiation. Skin colour can be associated with a specific hair type. People with frizzy hair often have black skin, but the reverse is not always true. For example, people in South America or Asia with very dark skin have very straight hair.