• Question: What makes us tan?

    Asked by whgraceandaim to Anil, Blanka, Cees, Emma, Mike on 3 Jul 2012. This question was also asked by whmichandbeale.
    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 3 Jul 2012:

      There’s a black pigment in our skin called melanin that helps protect our skin cells from the harmful rays that the sun produces (the darker-skinned you are the more melanin you naturally have).

      When we are in strong sunlight then our skin starts to get damaged and so produces more of this pigment to protect itself which is why our skin starts to go darker.

      Does this answer your question?

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