Do your lips produce melanin?

Melanin, also known as pigment, is the substance in our bodies that gives color to the skin, eyes, and hair. People with darker skin have much higher amounts of melanin, and those with pale skin have much less. Melanin also helps protect you from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is produced in nearly all organs that are vital to our bodies by melanocytes. These metabolize tyrosine, which is an amino acid. These formation sites include the heart, liver, muscles, and arteries. One of the places on your body that you must protect the most, especially from the sun, is the lips. This is because the lips produce no melanin, unlike the rest of the skin on your body. Using a lip balm that has a good sunscreen in it is essential to preventing not only sun burns, but also will protect from sunspots and skin cancer on the lips. The color in the lips instead comes from the blood vessels underneath. These capillaries are close to the skin, giving them their red or pink color. There are certain foods that you can eat to help your melanin levels, but do not forget that the lips must be protected because they produce none.