Have you ever wonder why do some people have light skin while others have olive skin or dark brown skin or any of the shades in between? Generally we think the color of our skin is given by our parents but it is not the only answer. The skin color that you have got is influenced by three things

• Ancestors
• Sun
• Malanin

Melanin... OK... So this is a new thing for you. It is the key facotor of our skin color. Melanin is basically color pigments that are produced in your epidermis by special cells called melanocytes. These melancytes located under outer layer of your skin. Everyone has roughly the same number of these melanin-producing cells, but a fair-skinned person’s melanocytes make much less of the stuff than those of a person with darker skin.

Melanin does more than give you your unique skin colour, it also helps protect you from getting burnt by the sun’s rays. Even though melanin is mighty, it can’t shield you all by itself, especially if you’ve got pale skin. You’ll need additional protection, particularly from the harsh Australian sun.