Latest Melanin Stories

April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A group of researchers from Brown University have demonstrated that certain skin cells use a light-sensitive receptor found outside of the eye to detect ultraviolet light and quickly begin producing melanin to prevent DNA damage. The same team, in a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has identified a key player in that biomolecular chain of events that could become a pharmacological target for...

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers from the University of Colorado Cancer Center say that they have discovered a new, more targeted way of treating melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. The findings, described in a recent edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, describe how small pieces of genetic material known as MicroRNA can choose the genes in a DNA cell that are either expressed or kept silent. With melanoma in particular, the...

Promising target for the development of novel drugs With the X-ray vision of DESY's light source DORIS, a research team from Hamburg and Iceland has uncovered the molecular structure of a master regulator central to the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. The results, published in the scientific journal "Genes & Development", throw new light on the workings of the so-called Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor MITF, that is not only connected to skin cancer, but also...

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC) and Cancer Center recently discovered that a kind of pigment found in individuals with red hair and fair skin may affect the development of melanoma. The scientists explained how various forms of the pigment melanin could be found in the skin. While eumelanin, a black or dark form of melanin, could be found in people with darker hair or...

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online While pale can be described as “pasty” and “sickly,” tan can be described as “glowing” and “lively.” In the past, pale skin was cherished and associated with wealth. These days, people seek tan skin and tanning has had resurgence in recent years. A study by the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) looked at how skin melanoma was affected by UV and melanin. The findings of the project were...

NEW YORK, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you have darker skin? If so, skin cancer might not be top of mind as a significant health threat, but beware - just because your skin is darker does not mean you are immune to skin cancer. Thanks to objective methods to measure skin color[1] developed by L'Oreal Research & Innovation, L'Oreal, has been able to demonstrate that sun exposure risks affect all skin types and skin colors[2]. This is why it's important for everyone to be...

An international team of scientists have for the first time discovered two 160-million-year-old giant cephalopod fossils with intact ink sacs that contain dried pigment similar to that of modern cuttlefish. The researchers, of which includes a professor from the University of Virginia, said the ancient brownish-black pigment, known as eumelanin, is widespread in the animal kingdom in squid ink, bird feathers and even human hair and skin. And because the fossilized pigment is so similar to...

by the National Cancer Institute Editor's Note: The following article is part of the monthly Lifelines education and awareness print series that the National Cancer Institute provides to African American media outlets. BETHESDA, Md., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- You may have heard that people with light skin, light-colored hair, and blue or green eyes have a greater risk for developing skin cancer. But did you know that people with darker skin are at risk for skin...

SAN DIEGO and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stiefel, a GSK company, announced today that Hats On For Skin Health, its global campaign with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), has raised enough funds to produce 15,000 sun-protective hats for albinos living in East Africa and has already distributed more than 2,000 hats. The hats are being distributed from Tanzania, where estimates are that 98 percent of albino children will die...

In addition to their extensive menu of cosmetic services, including laser hair removal in Chicago, Dundee Dermatology now offers skin lightening by elureâ„¢, an advanced system that breaks down melanin in the skin. West Dundee, Illinois (PRWEB) December 10, 2011 Dundee Dermatology specializes in providing patients with the most advanced products and treatments, including laser hair removal in Chicago for an array of cosmetic skin care concerns. "Skin lightening products help women and...