How come melanin protects the skin from the sun even though dark colors absorb more light/heat?

Question

shouldn’t it have the opposite effect on the skin

In: Biology

Answer 1

Because it’s the melanin molecules absorbing the UV rays and not your DNA (or other important proteins) in your skin cells! Melanin is also primarily present in the upper-layers of your skin, further away from the more delicate stuff in the inner-layers. So you can think of melanin as a shield (like your clothing would be!) that absorbs the UV rays early before they can penetrate deeper and cause more damage.