I'm Molly and I'm seven going on eight. How the heck is melanin produced? Why do
why do we have freckles? So I'm Lisa Arkin, I am a pediatric
dermatologist at UW and I take care of
lots of kids with freckles, which I think
is why they've asked me to answer this
question. Freckles are composed of an
ingredient called melanin. And melanin
protects against UV damage. So in essence,
your body makes melanin to protect
against the damage from the Sun. So in
people who have darker skin when they
make melanin it looks like a suntan in
people who have very light skin it often
comes out as these kind of finely
clumped granules of melanin and they
look like freckles. So you're more likely
to have them if you have light hair or
red hair and light eyes in part because
you're therefore less likely to be able
to actually create a tan. So there is
kind of a familial predisposition to
having it and there's some genetic basis
for that as well meaning it's it's kind
of part of your DNA, but over time it's
also a sign of having had some exposure
because again your body is making
melanin to try to protect itself from
damage from ultraviolet light. But
melanin is actually produced along a
pathway that converts tyrosine, which is
an amino acid, so one of the protein
building blocks of life, and it converts
it through a series of enzymes. Enzymes
are a bit like the key that unlocks the
door that convert it into one of two
types of melanin. The purpose is always
the same to protect your body from the
Sun. The Age says that 80% of the sun
exposure that people attain over their
lifetime actually happens in the first
18 years. So childhood is probably the biggest
risk for sun exposure. That's why we
talked to parents about the fact that
you know the preventive measures
they use now are really important not
just for now, but for a child's whole
lifetime.
