What are Melanocytes?
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer as, by the time it is usually detected, it has often already spread through other areas of the body and is no longer localised to the skin. The skin has two main layers, the upper layer called the epidermis and the inner layer called the dermis. In the epidermis are the cells called melanocytes that are responsible for production of melanin, the skin’s source of pigment.
Vitiligo is a skin condition where the dysfunction or destruction of melanocytes leaves the skin without colour but other problems can also occur with these pigment-producing cells.