Melanin is actually a kind of protein, which exists in everyone's body. They exist among cells in the basal layer of skin. At this time, they are not real melanin, but something called "melanin protoplasm", also called "pigment mother cells". Melanin is secreted by pigment mother cells. When ultraviolet rays (B wave and A wave) irradiate the skin (B wave means that UVB acts on the basal layer of the skin, while A wave is more severe and acts on the dermis of the skin), the skin will be in a state of "self-protection". Ultraviolet melanin activates the activity of tyrosinase and protects our skin cells. Tyrosinase reacts with tyrosine in the blood to produce a substance called dopa. Dopa is actually the precursor of melanin, which is oxidized by tyrosine and releases melanin. Melanin moves through the metabolic layer of cells, forming freckles, sunburns, dark spots and other shapes on the skin epidermis.
In this way, melanin is a substance produced by the skin to avoid being harmed by ultraviolet rays. From a certain point of view, he is a "good man", but his image is "poor". If the body's ability to synthesize melanin decreases, the skin will become sensitive. The incidence of skin cancer in many European countries is higher than that in African blacks, which is why. So melanin can protect our cells.
Melanogenesis
Melanin is widely found in human skin, mucosa, retina, pia mater, gallbladder and ovary. Melanin is synthesized by melanocytes. Skin melanocytes are mainly distributed in the basal layer of epidermis, but also in hair roots and outer hair sheaths. There are about 2 billion melanocytes in human epidermis, weighing about one gram, with an average of 65,438+0,560 melanocytes distributed symmetrically throughout the body.
Melanocytes can synthesize and secrete melanin, so they are gland cells. However, the biosynthesis of melanin is very complicated, which is formed by tyrosine-tyrosinase reaction in chromosomes (immature melanin).
How to inhibit melanin
However, due to different aesthetic standards, it is necessary to appropriately inhibit melanin production. After all, whitening is a fashionable topic that we Asians will never fade, and it is enough for major companies to vigorously develop whitening products to prove this. Of course, proper inhibition of melanin is not harmful to health.
So how to whiten your skin and make it healthy at the same time?
Scientific concept of sun protection and diet
Don't forget to protect yourself from the sun while doing whitening care. In whitening care, the melanin that has been produced can be gradually eliminated, and sun protection can help the skin inhibit the production of new melanin. Through good sunscreen products, the basal layer and dermis of the skin are protected from ultraviolet rays, the activity of tyrosinase is not affected, and the production of melanin is inhibited.
Skin color can also be improved through diet. Drink more water, eat more fruits and vegetables, and strengthen the intake of antioxidant foods. Foods such as vitamin C and vitamin A can effectively whiten and protect skin. Cooked tomatoes and lemons are rich in vitamin C, while vitamin A is common in some fat-soluble yellow foods. Some foods rich in copper or zinc will activate tyrosinase activity and make the skin black, so eat less food such as animal liver, beans and peaches. It is also worth noting that you should eat less acidic food to avoid free radicals and toxins in your body.
High quality whitening ingredients
Good whitening products can improve the skin that has formed melanin. For example, the most popular whitening elements in the world: L-vitamin C, vitamin C derivatives, licorice essence, mulberry essence, arbutin and other plant whitening factors.
In the process of melanin formation, vitamin C mainly helps the skin to inhibit melanin by reducing the activity of tyrosinase, and at the same time, it has a good antioxidant effect, helping cells to prolong their life and achieve the purpose of whitening. The plant whitening queen licorice extract can help resist ultraviolet rays, inhibit tyrosinase activity, and improve rough, dehydrated and swollen skin. It is a fully functional plant whitening ingredient. Arbutin can help inhibit the formation of melanin by freezing the activity of tyrosinase, and can also bleach cells. There are also grape seeds with good antioxidant properties, which can be used as "boosters" for other whitening factors.
Accelerate skin metabolism
One of the reasons for the formation of melanin is that the alternation of old and new keratin is too slow. Acids added in many whitening products >>
Question 2: Why is there more and more melanin in my body? The production of melanin is mostly related to endocrine disorders and sun exposure. The number of melanocytes mainly depends on heredity. In addition, it is also related to endocrine hormones and nutritional status. How to improve skin melanin has always been a difficult problem in beauty and dermatology. Diseases caused by melanin, such as freckles, chloasma, melanosis, etc., have become research topics in the beauty industry. Traditional Chinese medicine in the motherland believes that all internal injuries caused by seven emotions, improper diet, fatigue, insufficient kidney water, irregular menstruation of women and poor qi and blood will cause diseases. In order to solve this problem, various technical methods have been added internationally, mainly from two aspects: alleviating the formation of local melanin and promoting the decomposition and excretion of pigmentation. The effective components commonly used for anti-oxidation and anti-ultraviolet are SOD, tea polyphenols, coenzyme 10, hydrochloric acid, tocopherol, evergreen tree, angelica and so on. Anti-free radicals similar to SOD can resist ultraviolet radiation and slow down the formation of pigmentation.
In the process of human skin pigment metabolism, tyrosinase catalyzes tyrosine invertase dopal, and finally forms 5.6 quinone spin, which constitutes the main component of melanin in melanocytes in the basal layer of human epidermis. Therefore, the effective characteristics of regulating tyrosinase activity, such as placental hydrolysate, fresh water of liver, umbilical cord hydrolysate, egg yolk extract, etc. , used for freckle cosmetics.
Substances that change the pathway of melanin production, such as glutathione kojic acid, arbutin and vitamin C, can also be used to remove spots. The effective components that can inhibit the formation of melanocytes are chloroquine, indomethacin, vitamin C, 9- carotene, green tea, kojic acid, melanin, dark plum, cinnamon, licorice oil and soluble extracts. So how to prevent the production of melanin and make the skin black?
First, pay attention to labor protection and avoid direct sunlight. Ultraviolet rays can promote melanocytes to produce melanin particles and make the skin black. It is best to apply some whitening sunscreen to the exposed parts.
Second, pay attention to diet. Drink more water, eat more fresh vegetables, hawthorn and carrots, and eat less salt to reduce the formation of melanin.
Thirdly, taking vitamin C orally can reduce dopaquinone to dopa, thus inhibiting the formation of melanin.
Four, oral Chinese medicine Liuwei Dihuang pills, 8 pills each time, 2-3 times a day.
5. For external use, you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide and 5% mercuric chloride ointment, and you can also use whitening anti-wrinkle cream, freckle whitening cream, egg skin cream, protein ginseng beauty cream and special whitening honey. If used for a long time, it can make black skin white to some extent.
6. It is forbidden to use ointment or cosmetics containing estrogen, because estrogen can promote the formation of melanin. If these cosmetics are applied, the skin will become darker, and long-term use will lead to skin lesions.
Seven emotions, seven emotions, keep a good mood and avoid worrying about getting angry.
Eight, moderate diet, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, do not eat greasy spicy and wine cheese products.
Clinically, the following medicated diet is used, and the effect is satisfactory when taken frequently.
1. freckle removing powder: wax gourd seed 250g, lotus seed powder 25g, angelica powder 15g. Grind wax gourd seeds, lotus seed powder and angelica powder into fine powder, and take it with boiling water after meals every day; Take Chinese medicine 15g, dry peach blossom and dried wax gourd kernel in the shade (shelled) for external use, grind into fine powder, add appropriate amount of honey, mix well, apply it to the affected area before going to bed, and wash it in the morning, which has the functions of removing spots, cleaning skin and caring skin.
Second, Xiaoban Decoction: Luffa 10g, Poria cocos 10g, Bombyx Batryticatus 10g, Chrysanthemum morifolium 10g, 20g pearls, three roses and jujube 10g. Decoct with water, and then decoct with water.
3. Take 200 grams of yam, peel and cut into pieces, stir-fry Coicis Semen 100 grams and Jujube 20 grams, add water 1 liter, stew with slow fire to make porridge, and add appropriate amount of crystal sugar, and take it early every day. It is suitable for patients with spleen deficiency, anorexia, abdominal distension, grayish brown spots and white greasy tongue coating.
4. Take an old turtle, slaughter it, wash it, prepare 30g of Polygonum Multiflori Radix, 30g of Fructus Lycii and 30g of Radix Asparagi, put it in a casserole, stew it with slow fire for 3 hours, and take it when it is warm. It is suitable for patients with deficiency of kidney yin, night sweats due to bone steaming, soreness of waist and knees, vexation and fever, and dark brown spots.
Five, seven white cakes: white lentils, white yam, white lotus meat, white poria cocos 50g each, white chrysanthemum 15g, white flour 100g, white sugar 100g each, lentils, lotus seeds, poria cocos, yam and chrysanthemum are ground into fine powder, mixed with flour, or mixed with flour with water.
6.* * *: Melanosis, chloasma and face * * * have good curative effect, mainly along orbicularis oculi muscle, frontal muscle, orbicularis oculi muscle and face. & gt
Question 3: Why does melanin reduce vitiligo? It is a pigmented skin disease caused by acquired melanin loss. At first, the local skin, mucosa and hair turned white unconsciously, and gradually expanded, with clear boundaries and smooth surface without desquamation. In this case, we can first observe whether the white spots are smooth or not, which generally means that there is no pain. If the boundary is blurred or the leukoplakia spreads to normal skin, this situation can be preliminarily judged as a symptom of vitiligo, and the diagnosis can only be made after seeing the leukoplakia. Treating leukoplakia depends on traditional Chinese medicine. Once diagnosed as vitiligo, we should pay attention to treatment at the first time, seize the opportunity of treatment, learn more about vitiligo, do our own care, follow the doctor's advice, standardize medication, and maintain a happy mood for treatment. To treat vitiligo, we should believe in Chinese medicine.
Question 4: What about melanin deficiency? Why does hair turn white?
Generally speaking, young people's hair is black and shiny, while old people's hair is often white. Hair is black because it contains a kind of melanin. The more melanin, the darker the hair color. Conversely, the less melanin content, the lighter hair color. With the aging of human body, the pigment cells in hair follicles will stop producing melanin and the hair will turn white. The human body has no glands that can secrete melanin evenly. Melanin is produced separately in each hair, so the hair always turns white one by one. It usually takes many years for hair to turn white, but there are a few rare diseases that can make people turn white overnight. Although everyone's hair turns white to a different degree, it usually happens after the age of 30 for men and around 35 for women.
The main causes of hair whitening are heredity and aging. Anxiety, sadness, mental pain and some disease factors will make the formation of melanin difficult. There is another situation: melanin has been formed, but it cannot be transported to the roots of hair, which reduces the melanin contained in hair, so that dark hair will turn white day by day.
Will white hair be pulled out more and more?
Now, I am not afraid of long white hair, because I can dye it black, red and colorful. However, soon after dyeing the hair, new hair grows out, ugly white hair "shuttles through it", and the whole head looks very indecent. Some people have gray hair. However, the white hair can't be pulled out, and some people can't help wondering: "There weren't so many at first, but now there are more and more?"
Experts explained that this is a completely wrong idea, and white hair will not grow more because of pulling out three or one. The growth of black hair is mainly formed by melanocytes at the root of hair. It must be noted that the key of melanocytes lies in the hair roots, so no matter how you pull out the white hair, it will not have any impact on the hair roots and the white hair will not increase.
Baldness is mostly due to work pressure, mental stress, and the stomach can't effectively digest the food eaten, which leads to uneven nutrition, so white hair appears.
In addition, the lack of trace elements in the body is also a cause of white hair. By eating underground tuberous roots, how to absorb a lot of trace elements from Polygonum multiflorum, cooked sweet potato, potato, taro, etc., grow roots and black hair.
At present, dermatology, psychiatry and family medicine are recommended for the treatment of white hair. Besides, you can try to change your diet and lifestyle:
1. Don't be partial to food, and eat more foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as kelp, green vegetables and black sesame seeds.
2. Learning how to relieve emotions, such as singing a song, shouting in an empty place, and finding a "trash can" to pour out, are all good methods.
3. When using hair dye, you should read the instructions carefully and observe the precautions (such as wearing gloves before dyeing your hair and not dyeing your hair within 48 hours after perm).
4. It is best to dye your hair one to two months apart to avoid dyeing your hair during menstruation and pregnancy.
5. Eat less artificially added food, such as instant noodles, candied fruit or pickled products.
6. Homemade black hair medicated diet to eat:
Polygonum multiflorum porridge: 50 grams of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. After decocting in water, remove the residue, add a cup of white rice, a proper amount of rock sugar and red dates to cook porridge.
Yam sesame paste: Dice the yam, and then boil it with black sesame powder and rock sugar into a thick paste, which can be eaten.
. Although the causes of gray hair are not yet fully understood, the common clinical inducing factors are: chronic diseases, endocrine disorders, nutritional deficiencies, family inheritance and so on. Modern medical psychology research also found that emotional disorders can also make hair white. This is because, busy study and work can not be relieved and relaxed, anxiety and excessive use of the brain, long-term psychological * * * and other * * * will make the blood vessels that supply hair nutrition contract, and then make the hair with hair roots produce melanin dysfunction. Even if it can produce melanin, it can produce a lot of white hair in a short time because the input channel is blocked. This is the old saying, "smile, it is ten years old; Sorrow, white head ".
So, how should teenagers prevent and treat the problem of long white hair? Generally speaking, we can start from the following aspects:
1, stay optimistic. Being optimistic about life and keeping a happy mood will help your hair to be black and bright. Don't put your psychological world in despair even if you encounter something unsatisfactory, even misfortune. Because this is tantamount to punishing yourself with other people's mistakes, which will not only help, but also be counterproductive and even produce ... >>
Question 5: What food can reduce melanin? 1, cherry
Fresh cherries are rich in sugar, protein, beta carotene, iron and other nutrients. Iron can make people ruddy, while β -carotene and vitamin C can whiten the skin, so be sure to supplement more. Touching cherries can really make the skin delicate and elastic!
2. Litchi
Litchi contains sugar, protein, pectin, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron and so on. Vitamin C and iron are both rosy nutrients, but eating litchi is easy to get angry, so girls who are angry and prone to acne should not eat too much.
3. Guava
Guava is also a kind of fruit that turns white when eaten more. Contains vitamin C, fructose, glucose and other nutrients. Vitamin C alone is several times that of other fruits, and girls who love beauty can eat more.
4. tomatoes
The whitening effect of tomatoes is as good as slimming effect. It is rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, organic acids and protein. Tomatoes also have the function of protecting vitamin C, which can absorb a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants. If you want to be a fair-skinned beauty, it is right to eat more tomatoes every day.
Question 6: What is the cause of melanin deficiency? Inhaled dust, keratin, hormones, and various substances accumulate, and the face should be detoxified.
Question 7: What are the factors that affect the formation of melanin? There are two main aspects: melanin metabolism and tyrosinase activity:
(1) Melanin metabolism: There are three stages of complete melanin metabolism. The first stage is the biosynthesis of melanin in melanocytes. The second stage is the transfer of melanin from melanocytes to adjacent keratinocytes. The third stage is the degradation of melanin particles in keratinocytes (that is, removing the membrane): many melanin particles gathered in the membrane become single dispersed particles due to the removal of the membrane and are lost with the exfoliation of the stratum corneum. Under pathological conditions, a part of melanin particles dripping on the dermis are swallowed by local macrophages and deposited on the upper dermis or exfoliated in cells; Some are lymphatic metastasis.
In the process of the formation, transfer and melting of melanin particles, any obstacle may affect the metabolism of melanin, which may lead to the change of skin color. ① During melanogenesis and melanogenesis, tyrosine-tyrosinase reaction is disturbed, which will hinder melanin metabolism. Take vitamin C as an example, if vitamin C is added in this reaction, it will prevent dopaquinone from further oxidation to dopachrome, and the synthesized dopaquinone will be reduced to dopa, making melanin unable to be synthesized, while vitamin C itself will be oxidized to deoxyvitamin C and gluconic acid dioxide successively. ② The skin color difference of human body is mainly due to the activity difference of melanocytes, but the skin color does not necessarily deepen with the increase of melanocytes. That is to say, melanocyte activity causes melanocytes to migrate from melanocytes to adjacent keratinocytes, and then the skin begins to turn black. It shows that the color of human skin (including hair) depends not on the number of melanocytes, but on the number, distribution and melanin content of melanosome. The content of melanin-containing melanosome in keratinocytes is one of the determinants of skin color. Pigment loss after skin inflammation is due to the fact that melanin particles can not be discharged smoothly through epidermal cells after epidermal cells are damaged, which leads to the obstruction of melanin particles in melanocytes and the secondary decline of melanocyte function. ③ Abnormal symptoms of cyanogen, such as green nevus, Mongolian spot, Ota nevus and Ito nevus, are presumed to be caused by slow formation and melting of melanocytes in dermis.
(2) Tyrosinase activity: Tyrosinase plays an extremely important role in the process of melanogenesis and melanogenesis. Tyrosinase activity is affected by many factors, including: ① electromagnetic wave energy: in general, ultraviolet rays can activate tyrosinase in melanocytes, which is manifested by the increase of melanocytes per unit area, vigorous melanocyte production and accelerated movement. Therefore, ultraviolet rays are the driving force for melanocytes to produce melanin. However, the response of melanocytes to ultraviolet light varies with the wavelength of ultraviolet light, and the ultraviolet light with the wavelength of 290~380nm has the strongest ability to activate tyrosinase activity. For example, repeated ultraviolet irradiation with wavelength of 290~380nm will not only cause quantitative change of melanocytes, but also lead to qualitative change. For example, melanocytes in white skin will become larger and their distribution will change from * * * type to single type. However, the activity of tyrosinase in melanin particles is related to the amount of melanin produced. The more melanin is produced, the different tyrosinase activity makes the quantity and quality of melanin different, which is also a reason for the different skin color of people. ② Liquid-based: There is an organic compound in human epidermis-hexa-based compound, especially glutathione, which may inhibit tyrosinase activity through copper ions in Luohe. Tyrosine and tyrosinase exist in epidermal cells, and there is also an inhibitor Liu Ji. However, when the normal pigment enhancer or Liu group is significantly reduced due to the oxidation of epidermal hydroxyl groups, tyrosinase-tyrosinase reaction can be caused or stimulated, resulting in increased melanin production. Someone measured the content of Liuji in the skin and found that the content of Liuji in the damaged skin of vitiligo patients was much higher than that of normal people, and the ratio of copper to glutathione in blood was low. ③ Tryptophan catalase: Increased Tryptophan catalase activity will inhibit tyrosinase activity, and excessive cysteine, glutathione and tryptophan accumulated in the body due to metabolic disorder will increase Tryptophan catalase activity through its reduction, thus affecting the synthesis and metabolism of melanin. ④ Copper ion: Tyrosinase takes copper ion as auxiliary group, and its activity is closely related to copper ion. The study also showed that the blood and skin values of patients with vitiligo were significantly lower than those of the control group. It is speculated that the result will inevitably lead to the decrease of tyrosinase activity, thus affecting melanin metabolism. The reason of curing the decrease of copper and ceruloplasmin value may be related to nutritional disorder, or copper ... & gt
Question 8: What causes the decrease of melanin in hair? The main reasons for the decrease of hair melanin are: hypothyroidism; High malnutrition; Severe iron deficiency anemia and the initial recovery from serious illness lead to the decrease of melanin in the body, which makes the basic substances of black hair lack and the black hair gradually turns yellow-brown or yellowish. In addition, regular perming and washing your hair with alkaline water or washing powder will also damage your hair and make it yellow. The following are dietary treatments for hair yellowing caused by several reasons. ?
(1) Malnourished yellow hair:
It is mainly caused by high malnutrition, so we should pay attention to the distribution of diet and improve the nutritional status of the body. Eggs, lean meat, soybeans, peanuts, walnuts and black sesame seeds not only contain a lot of animal and plant proteins, but also contain cystine and cysteine, the main components of hair, which are the best foods for hair care. ?
(2) Yellow hair with acidic constitution:
It is also related to the increase of acid toxins in the blood, overwork and excessive intake of sweets and fat. Eat more kelp, fish, fresh milk, beans, mushrooms and so on. In addition, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as celery, rape, spinach, Chinese cabbage, citrus and so on. It is beneficial to neutralize the acidic toxins in the body and improve the yellowing state.
(3) lack of copper turns yellow:
There is a lack of an important copper-containing "tyrosinase" in the process of hair melanin production. Lack of copper in the body will affect the activity of this enzyme and make the hair yellow. Foods rich in copper include animal liver, tomatoes, potatoes, celery and fruits.
(4) radioactive yellow hair:
Long-term exposure to radiation, such as computer, radar and X-ray work, leads to yellow hair. Pay attention to supplement foods rich in vitamin A, such as pig liver, egg yolk, milk and carrots. Eat more radiation-resistant foods, such as laver, high-protein foods and drink more green tea.
(5) functional yellow hair:
The main reasons are mental trauma, fatigue, seasonal endocrine disorders, drugs and chemicals leading to the disorder of melanin production and melanin synthesis in the body. This kind of yellow hair should eat more marine fish, black sesame, alfalfa and so on. The effective components in alfalfa can replicate melanocytes and have the function of regenerating melanin; Black sesame can biochemical melanin; Nicotinic acid in marine fish can dilate capillaries, enhance microcirculation, make qi and blood smooth, eliminate melanin production obstacles, and make hair yellow and fit.
(6) Pathogenic yellow hair:
Because of some diseases, such as iron deficiency anemia, serious diseases, hair will change from black to yellow. In this case, you should eat more black beans, walnuts and fennel. Black beans contain melanin products which can promote the growth of melanin. Anisodine in fennel helps to convert melanogen into melanocytes, thus making hair black and shiny.
Healthy food
Mainly iron-containing foods, containing vitamin A, and vitamins B 1, B6, B, F, iodine, copper and other minerals are necessary. Foods containing such ingredients include dairy products, yellow-green vegetables (especially carrots and spinach), liver, egg yolk, kelp and so on.
(2) foods that are elastic and make soft hair hard.
You can eat more calcium-containing foods, such as small fish, seaweed, spinach, cabbage and so on.
(3) Hair is yellow or gray due to poor quality.
It is caused by the lack of melanin in hair. This pigment can be ingested from food to make the hair color better. For example, eating more iodine-containing foods, such as kelp, can increase the color of hair.
Classic diet prescription
1. Mulberry extract of Platycladus orientalis leaves: 50g of Platycladus orientalis leaves, 200g of mulberries and 50g of honey. Steam the leaves of Platycladus orientalis in water for 20 minutes, then remove the residue, add mulberry, fry with slow fire, remove the residue after half an hour, and add honey to make a paste.
2. Mulberry hair growth cream: Mulberry 200g, Polygonum Multiflori Radix 150g, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata 300g, and proper amount of honey. Mulberry, Polygonum Multiflori Radix and Radix Rehmanniae Preparata are decocted in water for 3 times, the juice is concentrated, honey is added and boiled into paste.
3. Braised sea cucumber with medlar: sea cucumber 300g, medlar 15g, mulberry 10g. First, cut the sea cucumber into strips, stir-fry with hot oil and seasoning, simmer and roast with low fire when the soup is boiling, and add steamed Lycium barbarum, mulberry and starch juice while it is hot.
4. Braised eggs with red dates and medlar: 10 red dates, medlar 30g, 2 eggs, decocted in water, shelled and boiled for a few minutes after the eggs are cooked, and eaten with eggs and soup.
5. Pig kidney and walnut soup: pig kidney 1 pair, Eucommia ulmoides 30g, Tribulus terrestris in Shayuan 15g, walnut kernel 30g. Add appropriate amount of water to the above three herbs and pig kidney, and cook for 30 minutes with strong fire, and then cook with slow fire until the pig kidney is cooked. Eat pig kidney, walnut kernel and soup. Daily 1 dose for 7~ 10 days. Treat white hair caused by deficiency of kidney yin, such as dizziness, forgetfulness, soreness of waist and knees, tinnitus and deafness, vexation and fever ...