Human skin with more melanin absorbs more ultraviolet radiation, yet most skin biology research has focused on white European skin, leaving darker skin types poorly understood. This matters because skin cancer rates are lower in people with highly pigmented skin, but the biological reasons go beyond simple UV filtering. Recent work shows that skin structure and composition differ significantly across the pigmentary spectrum, and melanin likely influences how skin tissue organises itself, how the epidermis renews itself through stem cells, and how cells handle oxidative stress. Without this knowledge, cosmetic and dermatological products are designed for a narrow range of skin types, potentially missing benefits or causing harm for others. If this research succeeds, it could lead to cosmetic products and skin treatments that work effectively for people of all skin tones, ages, and sexes. The work is fundamental science—it asks how melanin shapes skin behaviour across the life course—but the practical payoff would be inclusive formulations that deliver real protection and repair, rather than products optimised for only one end of the pigmentary spectrum.
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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.
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