Seasonal changes in skin color

Lasker, Gabriel W.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330120407

Cited by 24 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The substantial reflectance changes at the shorter wavelengths and slight change at 650 nm for the shoulder are comparable with the pattern of sun-tanning in skin reflectance observed by Lee and Lasker (1959). Lasker's (1954) values for seasonal changes .in forehead and inner arm reflectance are similar to those of the present study. However, he showed a greater darkening of the forehead (exposed) than the inner arm (protected), a predictable finding that was not observed in our sample.…”

Section: Seasonal Variationsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…This inability to tan among the subjects is verified by the low R/G ratio which, at 0" 14, is one of the lowest mean ratios known. The R/G ratio in the present sample is low in contrast to Indian Sikh girls in England at R/G =0-83 (Kahlon 1973), Peruvian Quechua Indian women at R/G=0.75 (Conway and Baker 1972), United States men and women at R/G =0-39 (Lasker 1954) and Dutch women at R/G =0.23 (Rigters-Aris 1973 a).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Skin and hair reflectance in women with red hair

Little

Wolff

1981

Annals of Human Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Skin and hair reflectance were measured with the Photovolt Spectrophotometer in 33 young women with red hair. Four skin sites were measured: forehead, check, inner arm and shoulder. A subsample of 15 red-headed women were tested before and at the end of the summer to test for tanning effects. The study was designed to test for relationships between hair and skin colour by reflectance spectrophotometry. As expected, subjects generally had very pale skin colour, pronounced freckling and very little tanning ability. Eumelanin (brown-black) pigment, as estimated by reflectance at 650 nm, was minimal at all skin and hair sites. Hair and inner arm reflectance values were highly correlated at short wavelengths, suggesting phaeomelanin as the source of the relationship. Estimates of tanning ability by use of the R/G ratio were very low in this sample of redheads.

show abstract

Section: Seasonal Variationsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

Skin and hair reflectance in women with red hair

Little

Wolff

1981

Annals of Human Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The most popular of these methods was the von Luschan scale, based on the use of colored tablets or tiles of different colors and hues with which the colors of unexposed skin were matched. These and similar matching methods could not be consistently reproduced, however, and were swiftly abandoned when reflectance spectrophotometry was introduced in the early 1950s (Lasker 1954, Wassermann 1974. Reflectance spectrophotometry remains the method of choice for the objective study of skin pigmentation, color definition, and the spectral reflectance curves of skin because the incident light used and the distance between the light source and the subject are invariable and because subjective factors inherent in the visual matching methods are excluded (Wassermann 1974).…”

Section: Melanin Pigmentation and Its Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Human Skin and Skin Color

Jablonski

2004

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

298

255

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humans skin is the most visible aspect of the human phenotype. It is distinguished mainly by its naked appearance, greatly enhanced abilities to dissipate body heat through sweating, and the great range of genetically determined skin colors present within a single species. Many aspects of the evolution of human skin and skin color can be reconstructed using comparative anatomy, physiology, and genomics. Enhancement of thermal sweating was a key innovation in human evolution that allowed maintenance of homeostasis (including constant brain temperature) during sustained physical activity in hot environments. Dark skin evolved pari passu with the loss of body hair and was the original state for the genus Homo. Melanin pigmentation is adaptive and has been maintained by natural selection. Because of its evolutionary lability, skin color phenotype is useless as a unique marker of genetic identity. In recent prehistory, humans became adept at protecting themselves from the environment through clothing and shelter, thus reducing the scope for the action of natural selection on human skin.

show abstract

“…Facultative skin colour is associated with exposure to sunlight, and denotes the pigmentation of exposed skin. Skin pigmentation is known to show considerable age‐ and sex‐related changes throughout life 1–6 . Several clinical studies, including recent ones using the reflectometric method, have shown these variations, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms and basic physiology of the pigmentary system are incompletely understood 1,2 , 5,7 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigmentation in Koreans: study of the differences from caucasians in age, gender and seasonal variations

Roh

Kim

Ha³

et al. 2001

British Journal of Dermatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Basal melanogenic regulation might not be different between Asians and caucasians. However, the sun exposure index may not represent lifelong cumulative UV exposure in Koreans. Age-, gender- and season-related characteristics of skin pigmentation in Koreans imply that genetically determined basal skin colour plays an important part in characterizing later responsiveness to UV radiation and sex hormones. Understanding differences between races will be helpful in studying the regulatory mechanisms of melanogenesis.

show abstract

Seasonal changes in skin color

Cited by 24 publications

References 2 publications

Skin and hair reflectance in women with red hair

Skin and hair reflectance in women with red hair

The Evolution of Human Skin and Skin Color

Pigmentation in Koreans: study of the differences from caucasians in age, gender and seasonal variations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About