Added: 12/01/2005 |
Melanogenesis Diseases and Disorders ? Know Their Symptoms and Signs and Be Safe, Not SorryMelanogenesis is a skin-cell process which is meant to protect human DNA from ultra violet rays of the sun. There are cells called melanocytes and they produce substance called melanin. The amount of melanin in human skin defines its color. All the people in all different countries and climate conditions usually have just the same number of melanocytes. But the amount of melanin these cells produce varies from person to person. And Ultra Violet rays also affect this production. These rays penetrate the skin and cause the release of alpha-MSH hormone. And that hormone stimulates the production of melanin by melanocytes.
Different sunless tanning products on the modern cosmetics market work in a more or less similar way - they stimulate melanin production. But because of the fact that these sunless tanning lotions and sprays are based on different substances, the effect is also different. That also determines the duration of tanning effect. For example, there are substances that affect only surface dead cells of your skin so the effect they provide lasts for a pretty short time. There are other substances that are used in sunless tanning lotions that give more permanent results. Check the composition of each tanning product you are going to use and always consult with your doctor about these products.
There are also so-called sunless tanning pills. In most cases they contain some sort of pigments. And this pigment fills your body so the effect of such product is pretty similar to carrot - carotene fills the carrot making it orange. Such sunless tanning pills can have dangerous side effects for your health. In some cases these pigments can even harm your eyesight so you should be careful with self-tanning pills. There are also other sorts of tanning pills that contain tyrosine but usually these pills have no effect at all. In any case sunless tanning pills have nothing to do with melanogenesis process in human skin.
There are also certain melanogenesis diseases and disorders. These melanogenesis diseases usually stop the entire melanogenesis process or lessen the melanin production significantly.
One of the widely spread melanogenesis diseases is an albinism. It is believed that the main problem is in tyrosine metabolism. Almost in all cases albinism is caused by some sort of genetic defect. Albinism affects patient's eyesight and pigmentation.
Another kind of melanogenesis diseases is called phenilketonuria - usually term PKU is used for that problem. It is an inherited melanogenesis disease. But luckily there are methods of treatment for this disease. But for treatment to be effective this problem has to be diagnosed at very early stages. There are special blood tests for newborns to detect phenilketonuria. Without special treatment phenilketonuria can easily cause brain damage and lead to different sorts of mental problems. Usual treatment for growing children and adults is a special diet that is free from phenilalanine. People with PKU usually have blue eyes and blond hair.
Another melanogenesis disease is Vitiligo. That problem is much more serious than previous two - in that case melanocytes in human body are dead. The actual cause of that problem is still unknown.
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