What is the difference between the melanin in a darker complexion, in a suntan and in an age spot?
Those with darker complexions naturally contain more melanin that is fairly evenly distributed (except on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet). Fairer skins that get tan may also initially have even color where exposed to the sun. What we see as a tan is actually post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from sun damage and, tanning especially at a tanning bed, significantly increases your likelihood for getting skin cancer. Age spots occur from chronic sun exposure which, over time, causes melanin-producing cells to gather in clusters resulting in patches of increased pigment mostly on the face, hands and chest.
