An important pigment called melanin is responsible for the colouring of our skin, and the tone of each person’s skin differs depending upon the amount of melanin our own body produces. Importantly, melanin protects the skin from the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun by absorbing and dissipating many of them before they can cause damage, although it cannot prevent the skin itself from burning. Darker spots on our skin, such as freckles, are merely small concentrations of melanin pigmentation.