Skin Pigmentation News and Research

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The color of the human skin is due to a brown pigment called melanin. Pigmentation or coloration of the skin is dependent on the amount of melanin present in the skin. People with pale skin produce very little melanin and people with darker skin produce higher amounts of melanin. Pregnancy and sun exposure can also make skin darker, while infections, burns, and blisters can make skin lighter.

Avita's ReCell Spray-On Skin exhibits potential for applications relating to healing of acute wounds

Avita Medical Ltd., the regenerative medicine company, announced today that a clinical study of 18 patients suffering from partial-thickness burns, some of which had failed to heal after treatment with other wound-healing methods ('chronic wounds'), demonstrated successful wound-healing after being treated with ReCell® Spray-On Skin™ from Avita Medical.

22 Apr 2011

Zebrafish model of human melanoma reveals new cancer gene

Looking at the dark stripes on the tiny zebrafish you might not expect that they hold a potentially important clue for discovering a treatment for the deadly skin disease melanoma. Yet melanocytes, the same cells that are are responsible for the pigmentation of zebrafish stripes and for human skin color, are also where melanoma originates.

24 Mar 2011

Vitamin D deficiency flagged as a major concern in South Asia

Bone health experts attending the 1st Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Singapore this week have flagged vitamin D deficiency as a major concern in the region, particularly in South Asia where the problem is especially severe and widespread across the entire population.

14 Dec 2010

$Indian study confirms vitamin D deficiency as risk factor for hip fracture$

Indian study confirms vitamin D deficiency as risk factor for hip fracture

A study from New Delhi India has revealed high rates of vitamin D deficiency among hip fracture patients, confirming the conclusions of similar international studies which point to vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for hip fracture.

13 Dec 2010

Vitamin D deficiency in African-American women can increase risk of aggressive breast cancer: Study

African-American women had lower vitamin D levels than white women, and vitamin D deficiency was associated with a greater likelihood for aggressive breast cancer, according to data presented at the Third AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities.

3 Oct 2010

Zebrafish-yeast approach for studying copper deficiency, complex multifactorial diseases

Copper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease ,a classic copper deficiency disease to brittle bones, anaemia and defective skin pigmentation in gastric bypass patients. Unfortunately, very little is known about how the body uses this essential nutrient. Knowing that melanocytes (the cells that give rise to hair, skin and eye pigmentation) are dramatically affected by the effects of copper deficiency, Elizabeth Patton from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and other colleagues from UK and US based labs decided to find out how melanocytes metabolise copper.

17 Aug 2010

Tanning protects skin from harmful sun rays

People who remain pale and never tan can blame their distant ancestors for choosing to live in the northern reaches of the globe and those who easily achieve a deep tan can thank their ancestors for living in the subtropical latitudes, according to Penn State anthropologists.

25 Jun 2010

ARS research physiologist develops preliminary model that predicts individual's vitamin D requirements

Your skin tone and the amount of sunshine you receive--in addition to what foods you eat--all can influence the amount of vitamin D that your body has on hand for optimum health. In a preliminary and apparently first-of-its-kind study, Agricultural Research Service research physiologist Charles B. Stephensen and colleagues have developed a preliminary model that predicts an individual's vitamin D requirements.

19 Jun 2010

People with vitiligo may have less risk of developing malignant melanoma: Research

People with the skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo may have less risk of developing life-threatening malignant melanoma, according to new research. The study also further confirms the suspicion that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease, which occur when the body's immune system reacts against its own tissues or organs.

22 Apr 2010

Skin cancer prevention measure increases hat use among fourth-graders

A sun protection intervention program that encouraged fourth-graders to wear hats outdoors as a skin cancer prevention measure significantly increased hat use at school, a study by researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine found. The program, however, had no effect on self-reported hat use at home or on measures of skin pigmentation.

26 Mar 2010

Vitamin D supplements might do more harm than good for African-American patients

Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "go-to" remedy for treating a wide range of illnesses, from osteoporosis to atherosclerosis. However, new evidence from a Wake Forest University School of Medicine study suggests that supplementing vitamin D in those with low levels may have different effects based on patient race and, in black individuals, the supplement could actually do harm.

16 Mar 2010

Supplementing vitamin D in people with low levels may have different effects based on patient race

15 Mar 2010

People with varicose veins should seek professional consultation

March is DVT Awareness Month and Vein Clinics of America encourages people with varicose veins, particularly those that have become painful and inflamed, to visit a vein specialist.

11 Mar 2010

Varicose veins may signal potential dangerous blood clots

March is DVT Awareness Month and Vein Clinics of America encourages people with varicose veins, particularly those that have become painful and inflamed, to visit a vein specialist.

5 Mar 2010

Findings point towards new therapeutic approach for breast and prostate cancer

In a new approach to developing treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and enlarged hearts, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine researchers are zeroing in on a workhorse protein called RSK.

9 Feb 2010

Researchers devise method to pinpoint key genetic variations under positive natural selection that may impact human health

Fossils may provide tantalizing clues to human history but they also lack some vital information, such as revealing which pieces of human DNA have been favored by evolution because they confer beneficial traits - resistance to infection or the ability to digest milk, for example. These signs can only be revealed through genetic studies of modern humans and other related species, though the task has proven difficult.

8 Jan 2010

SkinMedica enters into a global license agreement with New York University

SkinMedica, Inc. and New York University announced today that they have entered into a global license agreement to develop novel products to address skin hyperpigmentation based on technology invented at NYU.

27 Oct 2009

Findings provide new insight on skin pigmentation

The skin's pigment cells can be formed from completely different cells than has hitherto been thought, a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The results, which are published in the journal Cell, also mean the discovery of a new kind of stem cell.

19 Oct 2009

Women who wear veils risk vitamin D deficiency

A study by Australian scientists has found that women who wear veils for religious or cultural reasons may not be getting enough vitamin D.

20 Apr 2009

Vitamin D deficiency could lead to heart problems

Vitamin D deficiency - which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness - may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

1 Dec 2008