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Pigmentation in Ethnic Groups

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Textbook of Aging Skin

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Abstract

While human skin is an important external feature which can distinguish people of different ethnicities, less clear is how variations in human skin pigmentation may contribute to differences in skin structure, function, and pathophysiology. An understanding of differences in pigmentation, skin structure, and function becomes more important for treatment of skin diseases. Many advances have been made in understanding the genetic, molecular, and cellular differences underlying normal variation in human skin pigmentation. Studies have been carried out in order to investigate the complex genetic pathway underlying melanin synthesis and the role of genetic variation in epidermal pigmentation and to elucidate differences in skin pathophysiology among humans from different ethnic backgrounds. As knowledge develops about the intricate process of pigmentation and distinctions between ethnic groups, it can be further understood how pigmentary changes occur with aging, to consequently develop more effective management.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, UC San Francisco, 90 Medical Center Way, Surge 110, 0989, 94143-0989, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Howard I. Maibach & Ying Zou

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jane Y. Liu

Authors
  1. Howard I. Maibach
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  2. Jane Y. Liu
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  3. Ying Zou
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Howard I. Maibach .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Miranda A. Farage

  2. Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Kenneth W. Miller

  3. Department Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Maibach, H.I., Liu, J.Y., Zou, Y. (2016). Pigmentation in Ethnic Groups. In: Farage, M., Miller, K., Maibach, H. (eds) Textbook of Aging Skin. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27814-3_52-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27814-3_52-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27814-3

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Pigmentation in Ethnic Groups
    Published:
    04 April 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27814-3_52-3

  2. Original

    Pigmentation in Ethnic Groups
    Published:
    16 October 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27814-3_52-2

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