Melanin
The pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than light-skinned people have. Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes. It provides some protection again skin damage from the sun, and the melanocytes increase their production of melanin in response to sun exposure. Freckles, which occur in people of all races, are small, concentrated areas of increased melanin production.
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- Melanocyte
A cell in the skin that produces and contains the pigment melanin.
- Melanoderma
Increased skin pigmentation, darkening of the skin. This is directly due to an increased amount of melanin pigment in the skin when there is increased production of melanin by the melanocytes (the cells that make melanin) or if there is a rise in the number of melanocytes. Melanoderma comes from the Greek “melas”, black + […]
- Melanoma
acral-lentiginous melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma, nodular melanoma, and superficial spreading melanoma. Fair-skinned people and people with a family history of melanoma should always use a high-SPF sunscreen when outdoors. Everyone who has concern about an unusual mole-like spot should see their doctor. Detected early, melanoma is almost always treatable. Undetected, melanoma can spread rapidly and […]
- Melanoma thickness
A method for determining the prognosis (outlook) with melanoma. The thickness of a melanoma is related to the 5-year survival rate after surgical removal of the tumor. Also called Breslow thickness. Named for the physician Alexander Breslow who in 1975 observed that as the thickness of the tumor increases, the chance of survival goes down. […]
- Melanoma vaccine
A cancer vaccine prepared from human melanoma cancer cells. It may be used alone or with other therapy in treating melanoma.