Measuring the amount of melanin in a hair sample independently predicts an individual's risk for melanoma, according to a report in the May 15th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Melanin is a natural substance that gives colour to the hair, skin and iris of the eye, and also protects the skin from damaging rays of the sun.
Determining the amount of melanin as an indication of an individual's skin type could be used to advise patients how often they should be screened for skin cancer and to also provide individualised patient advice, Dr Stefano Rosso told Reuters Health.
The researchers found that measuring 2,3,5-pyrroletricarboxylic acid (PTCA) levels, which forms after the oxidation of the pigment eumelanin, provided the strongest results.
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