Melanins are pigments found throughout the body that give color to people, and the amounts of melanins determine things like hair color, eye color, and skin color. Of course, the amount of melanin is predetermined by genetics. There are two types of melanins: pheomelanin and eumelanin. Pheomelanin produces light and red colored pigments, while eumelanin produces black and brown pigments. All hair colors: black, brown, blonde, red, and gray hair is a combination of both eumelanin and pheomelanin (Veloz). People with black hair have high concentrations of eumelanin that give them the dark pigmented hair. People with brown hair also have high concentrations eumelanin, the variant colors of brown have to do with the concentration of pheomelanin. …show more content…
The degree of blonde is determined by the amount of eumelanin pigment. Red hair occured because of a series of mutations to the MC1R gene (the one responsible for hair color determination). As a result of this mutation, high concentrations of pheomelanin also cause lighter skin color, since pheomelanin does not protect against UV light, which render people with red hair to be more acceptable to sunburns and skin cancer. Also, the mutation of red hair causes a decreased synthesis of dopamine neurotransmitter in the brain which causes red-haired people to require a larger amount of anesthetic (Thomas). In addition, since pheomelanin does not protect the skin, people with red hair commonly have weaker immune systems than people with darker