Light skin

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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 eumelanin , and possess fewer melanosomes than humans with dark skin pigmentation. Light skin provides better absorption qualities of ultraviolet radiation, which helps the body to synthesize higher amounts of vitamin D for bodily processes such as calcium development. 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. The distribution of light-skinned populations is highly correlated with the low ultraviolet radiation levels of the regions inhabited by them. Historically, light-skinned populations almost exclusively lived far from the equator, in high latitude areas with low sunlight intensity.

Light skin

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. I identify as a mixed-race woman because being light-skinned and having mixed features places me at an advantage in the matrix of colorist, Europeanized beauty standards, which have historically and artificially placed light-skinned Black and biracial women at odds with our darker-skinned sisters. Malignant melanoma is primarily a disease of light-skinned individuals of northern European parentage with a history of exposure to intense solar radiation. Word History. First Known Use. Time Traveler. See more words from the same year. Dictionary Entries Near light-skinned. Cite this Entry. Copy Citation.

For example, light skin, among women aged 45, those measured as having light skin can expect to have an light skin predicted CBR score of 2. Interestingly, light- and dark-skinned women report similar levels of chronic burdens and have similar rates of health insurance, both of which are higher than those of medium-skinned women.

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.

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. It is about as close to white as one could get but just falling short of actually being white. Light skin is sometimes subject to similar confusion, but it at least has a specific quality that distinguishes it from mere white skin. A light skin tone is a typically pale complexion but with undertones of beige or yellow. It is a trait that can occur to a degree in Caucasian skin but is much more pronounced among lighter-skinned Asian races.

Light skin

Last Updated: January 23, Approved. This article was co-authored by Kimberly Tan. She has been a licensed esthetician for over 15 years and is an expert in mainstream, holistic, and medical ideologies in skin care. James E.

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The inability of previous studies to explain the health disadvantages of African Americans may be due to the untenable assumption that African Americans as a whole are impacted by social factors in an equivalent manner, and therefore experience similar patterns of health. Download as PDF Printable version. Skin tone therefore represents an entrenched status characteristic both related to, and distinct from, race. First, prior work has tended to focus on specific indicators of physical health, leaving unclear how skin tone might shape broader indicators of health and well-being. Molecular Biology and Evolution. Always use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Bleaching creams can help lighten dark areas of skin. More recent research, however, has produced mixed results. Share the Definition of light-skinned on Twitter Twitter. Dictionary Entries Near 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.

Stressors and discrimination are treated as time-varying covariates and are centered at their means for ease of interpretation. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vitamin D promotes the production of cathelicidin , which helps to defend humans' bodies against fungal, bacterial, and viral infections , including flu. Get Word of the Day daily email! Individuals with lightly pigmented skin who are repeatedly exposed to strong UV radiation, experience faster aging of the skin, which shows in increased wrinkling and anomalies of pigmentation. Farnsworth Loomis suggested that skin colour is related to the body's need for vitamin D. A second mechanism through which skin tone may shape health among African Americans is exposure to chronic and discrimination stressors. Cutoff points reflect pre-diagnostic conditions e. Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms. Some authors have expressed caution regarding the skin pigmentation predictions. How often are you in the sun? Some regions far from the equator do not receive UVB radiation at all between autumn and spring. Skin color represents a salient dimension of race that has distinct influences on life chances among African Americans above and beyond the impacts of traditionally measured race Goldsmith et al.