The Top 10 Benefits Of Having Dark Skin (Black Skin Health Advantages)

There are benefits of dark skin you may not have thought of based on scientific research. Of course, there are general benefits of skin, whether it is white or black. Whatever your skin color is, admire it and be happy with it because your beautiful skin is beneficial to your body. 

This article explains the benefits of black skin in which you will admire the dark skin the more. Since some people have been searching online for the benefits of dark skin. A later article will also highlight the benefits of white skin. 

Some black people resort to bleaching their beautiful dark skin, thinking that there is nothing good about it and that they may look more beautiful after bleaching, that is not true.

Here are 10 benefits of dark skin (black skin health advantages), you probably do not know, they are,  

• Less injury and tight permeability barrier
• Younger look
• Lower risk of bacterial infections
• Dark skin has rich melanin
• Skin rich in melanin may act against Parkinson's Disease
• Reduction of folate deficiency
• Macular degeneration risk is lowered
• Lower risk of hearing loss 
• Higher radical skin protection factor (RSF)
• No Sunburn

Keep reading to learn the details about these benefits of black or dark skin. 

1. Less Injury and Tight Permeability Barrier  

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Black skin feels less vulnerable to injury. Dark pigmented skin epidermis is more compact, this compact features of dark skin make it less vulnerable to injury from friction and mechanical traumas.

The epidermal permeability barrier protects the body from excessive water loss and the entry of exogenous substances such as toxins and allergens from the environment. Dark skin exhibits a tight permeability barrier. 

When exposed to a hot desert climate, dark skin retards the evaporation of water from the body due to its tight permeability barrier. For this, it is easy for dark skin to cope in hot weather without losing much water which is one  of the benefits of having dark skin. 

2. Younger Look          

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This is part of the list of the health benefits of black skin. Black skin usually has fewer wrinkles, this makes dark skin look younger. What is the secret? Dark skin has higher protection against photoaging. 

Photoaging is the earlier onset of aging as a result of exposure to sunlight or exposure to other artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation. Even when dark skin is exposed to sunlight for a long time, they may not always experience broken blood vessels in the nose and cheeks which later appear as small dots. 

3. Lower Risk of Bacterial Infections     

The surface of darkly pigmented skin has lower pH, meaning the surface of dark skin is acidic, while the deeper layer is not acidic. The more the acidity of the surface of the skin, the better its protection against pathogenic microbes. 

There are shreds of evidence that darkly pigmented skin manufacture more antimicrobial peptides, these antimicrobial peptides are the key component to defense mechanisms that come into play immediately or within hours of an antigen's appearance in the body. 

Research shows higher acidity also protects against inflammation. This is another top benefit of dark skin. Black skin is said to be more resistant to arthropod bites or stings. Research also shows dark skin appears to have higher levels of gamma globulin and greater phagocytic activity for malaria parasites.

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4. Dark Skin Has Rich Melanin    

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Melanin is the pigment found in the skin, it is responsible for skin color. Dark skin has naturally rich melanin skin, the darker the color of the skin is, the richer the Melanin in the skin. This is one of the benefits of health advantages of dark skin. 

There are different types of melanin, eumelanin is the melanin found in dark skin. Dark skin is also rich in melanosomes, the organelle in the cell that synthesizes, store, and transport melanin. Melanin is not just there for skin coloration, it protects the body from ultraviolet (UV) light. 

Without melanin in the skin, ultraviolet light can pass through from the skin surface to the lower layer of the skin due to its longer wavelength, but melanin serves as protection in shielding the skin from penetration of ultraviolet light. When Ultraviolet radiations penetrate through the skin, they may damage the DNA, thereby mutating the skin cells resulting in skin cancer. 

Experimental studies show that heavily pigmented melanocytes (epidermal cells containing melanosome) begin production of new cells faster than lightly pigmented ones after exposure to ultraviolet radiations. Showing the protective effects of melanin on DNA structure. 

Dark skins are fortunate to have a natural shield in their skin that protects them from ultraviolet rays and are less prone to skin damage when exposed to ultraviolet radiations. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, it was estimated by the American cancer society that light-skinned are at risk of developing melanoma skin cancer 20 times more than dark skin. 

5. Skin Rich In Melanin May Act Against Parkinson's Disease  

Melanin is not only found in the skin, it is found in the eyes, hair, inner ears, and brain. The melanin in the brain is known as neuromelanin. Dark brown pigment in the dopaminergic neurons in the substantial nigra pars compacta (SNpc) part of the brain is neuromelanin. 

Neuromelanin gives SNpc its distinct dark brown coloration. Neuromelanin is essential to proper brain function, loss of neuromelanin through the loss of the dopaminergic neurons in the brain plays a major role in Parkinson's disease. 

 Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease which becomes chronic and worsens over time. It was reported that Parkinson’s disease is the 14th major cause of death in the United States. In the United States each year more than 50,000 cases are reported.

Although there is no direct relationship between skin melanin and neuromelanin, there is epidemiology evidence that skin melanin may protect against Parkinson's disease. This is among benefits of having much melanin in the skin you may not have thought of. 

For example, in Baltimore, United States of  America, a survey carried out on both community-based and hospital bases shows there is a lower frequency of Parkinson's disease with dark skin. Also, in a hospital in South Africa, records show that Parkinson's disease is far less common with black skin.

6. Reduction Of Folate Deficiency    

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Dark skin has lower chances of developing conditions related to folate deficiency. Ultraviolet light has adverse effects not only on DNA but also on folate. Dark skin protects folate in the skin from deleption. Folate is a B vitamin, that is important for cell growth and metabolism. 

Folate can occur naturally in foods such as leafy green vegetables, lentils, melons, lemon, and so on.  The human body cannot synthesize folate, humans depend on food or folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) for folate. Folate level in the body is not easy to maintain because, in natural foods, folate often breakdown when food is boiled or stored. 

Folate deficiency can occur as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light, meaning the little folate retained in the body can easily be depleted by ultraviolet radiation. This brings us to the six-point on the benefits of black skin. 

Studies of cell proliferation (production of new cells) as a consequence of folate deficiency have helped in the understanding of normal development and birth defects, and normal cell division and neoplasia (excessive growth of tissue). 

Folate deficiency can result in failures of normal embryogenesis (development of embryo after fertilization)  and spermatogenesis (sperm production in men). Also, epidemiological studies show that folate deficiencies during pregnancy are the cause of Neural tube defects (NTDs). Black skin is less prone to these conditions due to their dark skin nature.

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 7. Macular Degeneration Risk Is Lowered   

Dark skin has a lower risk of having age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Age-related macular degeneration happens when the small central portion of the retina called the macula, wears down over time. 

It is common among people over 60 years of age, it is known as the most severe leading cause of permanent loss of sight, though it doesn't cause blindness, it can lead to severe vision problems. Studies show dark skin individuals may have lower chances of developing age-related macular degeneration. 

Through photographs, the eyes of lighter-skinned individuals were evaluated, research shows they show early signs of AMD, such as abnormal blood vessels and drusen (yellow deposit under the retina of the eyes, the yellow deposit is made up of fatty protein). The research also shows that larger drusen and confluent drusen were likely to be found less in dark skin. Which is also among  the benefits of black skin.

8. Lower Risk Of Hearing Loss    

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Otosclerosis is the abnormal growth of bone of the middle ear. This bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly and causes hearing loss, though it rarely results in total deafness. Otosclerosis is rare for dark skin. 

Epidemiologic studies of hearing loss have shown that the dark skin body system may have a 40% - 60% lower prevalence of hearing loss. The rate of hearing loss was investigated in workers exposed to the same occupational noise. 

Many do not know this as it is part of the health benefits of dark or black skin. An early study in 1931, suggests there is a relationship between skin and cochlear pigmentation with an increase in cochlear melanin associated with protection against hearing loss. 

The melanin produced by strial melanocytes in the cochlea has been hypothesized to protect against hearing loss by its role as radical scavenger, a metal chelator, or regulator of calcium homeostasis in the stria vascularis. 

For normal hearing, these roles displayed by melanin in the cochlea are very important because of its generating and maintaining endolymphatic potential in the cochlea. Other studies also support the protective role of melanocytes in individuals with lighter irises or albinism or other pigmentation abnormalities are at risk of hearing loss.

 

9. Higher Radical Skin Protection Factor (RSF)   

Melanin acts as an antioxidant in the sense that, it reduces the number of free radicals produced in the skin. Solar ultraviolet  (UV) radiation reaching the earth as well as on our skin, which is of two types, UVA (it is less energetic, it is about 90-95% of the radiation) and UVB (highly energetic, about 5-10% of the radiation). 

Both UVA and UVB are harmful to the skin. Another way ultraviolet radiation damages the skin is through free radicals. Free radical reactions are involved in various skin diseases such as skin tumors. UVA penetrates the skin deeper than UVB because it has a longer wavelength. 

When UVB penetrates the skin, it produces free radicals or reactive oxygen species. Free radicals produce lipid radicals. Lipid radicals are responsible for the destruction of the cell membrane and eventually, the death of the cell. 

Melanin scavenges free radicals by eliminating the generated free radicals. The higher the melanin the more the elimination of free radicals in the skin. Meaning, the darker the skin, the richer the melanin so also the higher the radical skin/sun protection factor (RSF) which is a benefit of dark and black skin.

10. No Sunburn   

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Black skin is least likely to have sunburn. Here are other benefits and health advantages of having dark skin. Sunburn is the reddening, inflammation of the skin and, in severe cases, blistering and peeling of the skin caused by overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, in these cases, medical attention may be needed urgently. 

Why does the skin peel off? After exposure to the sun, there is the mass death of cells, resulting in layers peeling off. The peeling off is a way of the body trying to get rid of damaged cells that are out of control instead of becoming cancerous. 

Dark skin may tolerate sun exposure for hours without experiencing sunburn. Dark skin allows more time to be spent on the beach and it will not experience any sign of sunburn.

What are your thoughts on the benefits of dark skin or black skin? Let us hear from you in the comments section below (Post a comment). Please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on our social media handles. Thank you!

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