Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?

Answer 1

Skin contains special cells, called melanocytes, which deposit dark pigment in the skin as a response to the sun's (or a tanning beds) UV rays. The resulting melanin moves to visable layer of our skin as it filters out the harmful rays, as a tan. Really, when you look at tanned skin, you are seeing sun-damage cells trying to protect themselves. As for your hair, it's the converse of what occurs in your skin. Hair is dead, so any original pigmentation is broken down as the sun damages it, turning it a light color.

Answer 2

Your hair just lightens because the sun bleaches the pigment. Your skin darkens because the more it is exposed to the sun, the higher the melanin count gets. The melanin gives your skin a darker color and it protects your skin from the sun.

Answer 3

Sun darkens skin because it triggers the production of melanin, a brownish-black pigment that helps filter out harmful ultraviolet rays. It lightens hair because the UV light triggers the breakdown of these selfsame melanin molecules into simpler and evidently less colorful compounds. The exact mechanism by which this is accomplished is not as clear as it might be. "The ionic pathway probably begins by nucleophilic attack of the peroxide anion on the o-quinone grouping," says one medical text, clearly written by the kind of guy you wouldn't want to have season tickets next to at the ballgame. The melanin in both skin and hair is meant to protect the other tissue, but in skin it's renewed (and thus the skin gets darker) whereas in hair it's not, since hair is no longer living.

Answer 4

The sun is made out of a special material, the same as in toe and finger nails.

Skin is made of skin cells.

I know that doesn't really answer the question, but it will help clarify some things. Two differrent things work in different ways.

Answer 5

Hair isn't alive so it can't get burned (you can burn anything but "sunburn" refers to living tissue...non-human as well)

Instead the rays destroy the pigment so the color is lost - the energy from the photons break the bonds (just like when half a book gets bleached when it sits on the shelf that partially gets exposed to the sun)

Answer 6

I think it has to do with the melatonin in our skin that reacts differently to light by darkening, vs. our hair which tends to get bleached (lighter) because it doesn't have chemicals in it.

Answer 7

My gut is to say it's because your hair is dead and your skin is alive. But, I think the very top layer of your skin is actually very close to being dead.

Answer 8

Because are skin and hair have diffrent oils in them.

Answer 9

Very Smart Question... Dont know tho