Vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin production. Goddard says that vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.
Can you increase melanin? People of any skin type can try increasing melanin to reduce skin cancer risk. Studies suggest that upping your intake of certain nutrients could increase melanin levels. It might even increase the amount of melanin in people with fair skin types.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants work in protecting your body cells and defending them against the effects of free radicals. It also increases the melanin production in your hair. Dark chocolate, beans, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, carrot, and pumpkin can add antioxidants to your diet.
Eating Antioxidant-Rich Foods
While there is limited research that certain foods can boost melanin production, antioxidant-rich foods are full of vitamins that can support healthy hair, skin, and eyes. Foods with high levels of antioxidants can help protect cells against free radical damage.
There is no approved medicine, pill, or procedure that can increase melanin production, says Ko. The only way to increase melanin production is through UV exposure from the sun or indoor tanning beds. However, this does not safely boost melanin and will only increase your risk of skin cancer.
However, aside from wearing sunscreen and limiting sun exposure, you can't lower your body's overall melanin production. Permanent reduction isn't possible, since melanin formation is determined by genetics. If you have hyperpigmentation, ask a doctor how to reduce melanin in the affected areas.
Albinism. When a person has very little melanin, it results in this rare disorder. People with albinism have pale skin, white hair and blue eyes. There's also an increased risk for vision loss and sun damage.
Vitamin D is known to enhance the rate of melanin synthesis; and this may concurrently regulate the expression of furin expression.
If you have hypopigmentation from injuries to your skin or skin treatment, you likely won't need treatment. Your skin cells will start to make melanin again as your affected areas heal. Hypopigmentation will usually go away after a few weeks or months.
In all, 7 studies suggested that Vitamin C has a role in melanin pigmentation.
Vitamin C is an effective skin lightener that has been described as a melanogenesis inhibitor due to its inhibition of tyrosinase and reduction of melanin and melanin intermediates, such as dopaquinone.
Although vitamin D is essential for skin health, its primary role is the promotion of melanin formation, which may cause more skin darkening.
It reduces the amount of melanin pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. People with albinism (albinos) have white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Their eyes may seem red in different lighting conditions.
With aging, the outer skin layer (epidermis) thins, even though the number of cell layers remains unchanged. The number of pigment-containing cells (melanocytes) decreases. The remaining melanocytes increase in size. Aging skin looks thinner, paler, and clear (translucent).
Melanocytes are the cells that produce eumelanin and pheomelanin. Cells known as keratinocytes then carry melanin to the skin surface. In people with dark skin, melanocytes produce more melanin than they do in people with light skin tones.
No research to date has proved that foods or supplements can increase a person's melanin levels. However, eating certain nutrients may help the skin defend itself from UV damage and skin cancer. There are also ways to give the skin a tanned appearance without damaging it with UV rays.
According to studies, sunscreen can help prevent the formation of hyperpigmentation without additional lightning agents. So, if you already have dark spots ruining your skin, wearing sunscreen will prevent the UV rays from further increasing the production of melanin, making the appearance of dark spots worse.
Cutaneous manifestations associated with vitamin B12 deficiency are skin hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, angular stomatitis, and hair changes.
Zinc similarly inhibits Tyrosinase activity, again in effect reducing the production of melanin.
Your hair turns gray or white from a loss of melanin, a pigment-producing component that produces melanocyte cells. These make up your natural hair and skin color. The less melanin you have, the lighter your hair color. Gray hair has minimal melanin, while white has none.
However, a recently advanced hypothesis argues that limited minerals in the diet, such as calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe), may serve to increase melanin pigment production and maintain signal honesty.
It is suggested that deficiency of vitamin B12 causes decrease in intracellular reduction potential that leads to oxidation of the reduced glutathione and decrease in GSH/GSSG ratio. The epidermal melanocytes are then stimulated to produce melanin as the tyrosinase inhibiting effect of GSH has been diminished.
A master regulator of gene activity sets skin cells to make melanin every 48 hours. 48 HOURS Daily exposure to the sun can hurt sunbather's chance of developing a dark tan. That's because skin cells don't operate on a daily schedule, instead making melanin only every other day, experiments in human cells and mice show.
In teenagers, this process takes about 28 days. In adults, it takes between 28 and 42 days. In those age 50 and older, the skin renewal process can take up to 84 days.