Melanocyte and pigmentation

Normal skin pigmentation is a complex process that, in the epidermis as in the hair follicles, begins with the synthesis of melanin within melanosomes in the melanocytes, followed by melanosome transfer to neighboring basal and suprabasal keratinocytes. In basal cells, melanin granules are translocated to the upper pole of the nucleus, forming a melanin cap that protect DNA from UV rays. Melanin granules are eventually degraded as the keratinocyte undergoes terminal differentiation. In (...)