Air pollution-induced tanning of human skin
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Melanism is more frequent in animals living in polluted areas on urban-industrial sites. Given that an increasing number of people are exposed to elevated air pollution levels, it is possible that environmental pollutants affect melanogenesis in human skin. Epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants such as diesel exhaust particles (DEP) is associated with more clinical signs of hyperpigmentation. However, mechanistic evidence linking DEP exposure to pigmentation has been elusive. OBJECTIVES: To develop an ex␣vivo skin model to allow for repetitive topical application of relevant ambient DEP, and to provide proof of concept in humans. METHODS: We measured skin pigmentation, melanin and pigmentation-associated gene expression, and evaluated oxidative stress. RESULTS: Repetitive exposure of ex␣vivo skin to DEP at nontoxic concentrations increased skin pigmentation. This increase was visible to the naked eye, time dependent, and associated with an increase in melanin content and the transcription of genes involved in de novo melanin synthesis. Similarly, in healthy participants (n = 76), repetitive topical application of DEP at nontoxic concentrations increased skin pigmentation. DEP-induced pigmentation was mediated by an oxidative stress response. After the application of DEP, epidermal antioxidants were depleted, lipid peroxidation and oxidative DNA damage were enhanced, and in a vehicle-controlled, double-blind clinical study DEP-induced pigmentation was prevented by the topical application of an antioxidant mixture. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to solar radiation, air pollutants cause skin tanning. As eumelanin is an antioxidant, it is proposed that this response serves to protect human skin against air pollution-induced oxidative stress.
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Similar correlations have been reported between pollution and pigmentation disorders in urban centers such as Beijing and Mexico City.
“For instance, elevated particulate matter exposure in Seoul, South Korea, has been associated with increased flares of atopic dermatitis, while similar correlations have been reported between pollution and pigmentation disorders in urban centers such as Beijing and Mexico City [3,4,5].”
From The Environmental Determinants of Skin Health: Linking Climate Change, Air Pollution, and the Dermatologic Disease Burden (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
The Abstract (page unavailable) reports epidemiological associations between traffic-related air pollution and facial pigment spots, supporting the general correlation. The paper does not identify Beijing or Mexico City as locations where those correlations were reported; its References name studies of Chinese women but do not establish the claimed cities. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPollution-induced oxidative stress contributes to cutaneous abnormalities, with diesel exhaust particles shown to drive melanogenesis in human skin via oxidative pathways.
“Evidence indicates that pollution-induced oxidative stress contributes to cutaneous abnormalities, with diesel exhaust particles shown to drive melanogenesis in human skin via oxidative pathways [5].”
From The Environmental Determinants of Skin Health: Linking Climate Change, Air Pollution, and the Dermatologic Disease Burden (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
Elevated particulate matter exposure in Seoul, South Korea, has been associated with increased flares of atopic dermatitis.
“For instance, elevated particulate matter exposure in Seoul, South Korea, has been associated with increased flares of atopic dermatitis, while similar correlations have been reported between pollution and pigmentation disorders in urban centers such as Beijing and Mexico City [3,4,5].”
From The Environmental Determinants of Skin Health: Linking Climate Change, Air Pollution, and the Dermatologic Disease Burden (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
The in vivo studies section describes diesel-exhaust-particle exposure and skin pigmentation, not atopic dermatitis flares. Searches for Seoul, South Korea, and atopic dermatitis found no passage in our copy reporting the claimed association. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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Zieneldien, T., Ma, S., Tan, I. J., Kim, J., Busot, D., & Cohen, B. A. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22121820 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Impact of particulate matter exposure on melanoma risk: A multicentre case–control study
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- Authors
- Grether‐Beck, S., Felsner, I., Brenden, H., Marini, A., Jaenicke, T., Aue, N., Welss, T., Uthe, I., & Krutmann, J.
- Affiliations
- Leibniz Institute of Environmental Medicine (DE)
- Henkel (Germany) (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Krutmann, J.
- Venue
- British Journal of Dermatology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2021-08-20
- Volume
- 185
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1026-1034
- ISSN
- 0007-0963 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2133
- OpenAlex
- W3160227261
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 3.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- British Journal of Dermatology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Skin Protection and Aging
- Keywords
- diesel exhaust particles, air pollution, skin pigmentation, melanogenesis, melanin, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, oxidative DNA damage, antioxidants, ex vivo skin model, hyperpigmentation, eumelanin
- MeSH terms
- Air Pollutants, Air Pollution, Animals, Vehicle Emissions, Humans, Oxidative Stress, Particulate Matter
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