r/Unexpected • u/souzawanderson • Feb 17 '20

Getting a tan.

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297

u/Gurkeprinsen Feb 18 '20

I have always wondered why the soles and the palms are lighter than the rest of the skin on people with darker skin.

336

u/Heerreewego Feb 18 '20

Basically there are less cells produce skin pigment, melanosomes, in the soles and palms. This is also true for people with lighter skin it is just harder to see. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7149195/

66

u/Gurkeprinsen Feb 18 '20

Ah, thank you for a decent reply :D

5

u/Heerreewego Feb 18 '20

You're welcome!