Light skin

Light light skin is a human skin color that has a low level of eumelanin pigmentation as an adaptation to environments of low UV radiation. Humans with light skin pigmentation have skin with low amounts of eumelaninand possess fewer melanosomes than humans with dark skin pigmentation, light skin.

Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October Learn More or Try it out now. Skin tone is a significant marker used by others to evaluate and rank the social position of minorities. While skin color represents a particularly salient dimension of race, its consequences for health remains unclear. To what extent are these relationships gendered?

Light skin

Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Normal skin contains cells called melanocytes. These cells produce melanin , the substance that gives skin its color. Skin with too little melanin is called hypopigmented. Skin with no melanin at all is called depigmented. Pale skin areas are due to too little melanin or underactive melanocytes. Darker areas of skin or an area that tans more easily occurs when you have more melanin or overactive melanocytes. Bronzing of the skin may sometimes be mistaken for a suntan. This skin discoloration often develops slowly, starting at the elbows, knuckles, and knees and spreading from there. Bronzing may also be seen on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands. The bronze color can range from light to dark in fair-skinned people with the degree of darkness due to the underlying cause. Over-the-counter and prescription creams are available for lightening the skin.

Marriage is one mechanism through which socioeconomic position may be enhanced, particularly for women Dixon Racial health inequality in the United States US has received considerable attention in the social light skin. Findings suggest that skin color is a significant predictor of cumulative biological risk CBR and self-rated health among African American women only.

Accessed 19 Mar. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! See Definitions and Examples ». Cite this Entry Citation Share. Log In. I've never thought there was a whole lot of value to being light skinned in a society that hasn't embraced its black people of whatever shade, but if people want to be colorist, you can't stop them.

Human skin color ranges from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation , which is the result of genetics inherited from one's biological parents , exposure to the sun , disorders, or some combination thereof. Differences across populations evolved through natural selection or sexual selection , because of social norms and differences in environment, as well as regulations of the biochemical effects of ultraviolet radiation penetrating the skin. The actual skin color of different humans is affected by many substances, although the single most important substance is the pigment melanin. Melanin is produced within the skin in cells called melanocytes and it is the main determinant of the skin color of darker-skin humans. The skin color of people with light skin is determined mainly by the bluish-white connective tissue under the dermis and by the hemoglobin circulating in the veins of the dermis. The red color underlying the skin becomes more visible, especially in the face, when, as consequence of physical exercise or sexual arousal , or the stimulation of the nervous system anger , embarrassment , arterioles dilate. There is a direct correlation between the geographic distribution of ultraviolet radiation UVR and the distribution of indigenous skin pigmentation around the world. Areas that receive higher amounts of UVR, generally located closer to the equator, tend to have darker-skinned populations. Areas that are far from the tropics and closer to the poles have lower intensity of UVR, which is reflected in lighter-skinned populations.

Light skin

Are these skin tones the same? What is the difference between fair vs light skin tones? Sometimes, definitions change depending on whom you ask and where you are. With regard to many Caucasians and Asians, a fair skin tone is associated with white skin in general. However, when applied to non-Caucasians or mixed Caucasians, fair skin is just a number of shades lighter than a tan skin tone.

Remove repository bitbucket

Black Metropolis. The data may also be subject to potential selection bias given the disproportionate experience of socioeconomic disadvantage and incarceration among blacks compared to whites, and dark-skinned blacks compared to their lighter-skinned counterparts Western and Pettit ; White The magnitude of health inequality between social groups may therefore be underestimated when basing such conclusions on studies that examine singular health outcomes. Do you use a sun lamp or go to tanning salons? As a consequence of folate depletion, they are at a higher risk of DNA damage , birth defects , and numerous types of cancers , especially skin cancer. Estimating random effects for the intercept accounts for person-specific errors, which represent unobserved differences between individuals that are stable over time and not accounted for by the covariates. Retrieved 22 September No other socioeconomic resources account for skin color differences among women, while only marital status and insurance have a direct, positive relationship with CBR among men. Analytic Strategy This study uses random intercept multilevel models estimated within a mixed model framework. This precludes an investigation of the extent to which associations between skin tone and physical health might be shaped by gender. Thus, the extent to which skin color shapes health in earlier portions of adulthood requires additional studies. Abnormally dark or light skin. Various cultural practices increase problems related to health conditions of light skin, for example sunbathing among the light-skinned.

The first time New Zealand resident Harsharin Kaur visited India, the country of her ancestors, as an adult, she was struck by the amount of pressure there was for people to change the colour of their skin. All this in a country whose population is far more likely to be dark-skinned — a necessary protection against the harsh UV rays from the Sun that come with living closer to the equator. The form of discrimination that favours light-skinned members of the same ethnic group is known as colourism.

Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. Journal of Human Evolution. One likely mechanism is socioeconomic status. Other studies, however, find no direct link between skin color and reports of discrimination e. The combination of light skin, red hair , and freckling is associated with high amount of pheomelanin, little amounts of eumelanin. In turn, aesthetics confer social, economic, and political advantages and resources for women deemed socially attractive in the ways that other characteristics e. Findings suggest that skin color is a significant predictor of cumulative biological risk CBR and self-rated health among African American women only. In a racialized society such as the US, these presumed characteristics and attitudes toward others are not only a result of systems of oppression, but are also used to reinforce social structures and hierarchies by shaping practices, relations, and behaviors at all levels of society Bonilla-Silva Among average aged women, for example, those of light skin complexion have a predicted health rating of 2. They vary from very dark to brown in colour and develop a random pattern on the skin of the individual. Avoid too much sun exposure.