Melatonin: A Cutaneous Perspective on Its Production, Metabolism, and Functions

The 2018 review article examines melatonin's role in skin physiology, highlighting its production within the skin and its potential therapeutic applications in dermatology. Melatonin is known for its ability to regulate circadian rhythms and has been found to have immunomodulatory, thermoregulatory, and antitumor properties. The review underscores melatonin's capacity as a free radical scavenger, its role in activating antioxidative and DNA repair systems, and its photoprotective effects against UV radiation. It also discusses melatonin's anticancer activities, influence on skin barrier function, wound healing, pigmentation, and hair follicle regulation, with implications for conditions like vitiligo and androgenetic alopecia. The authors call for more clinical studies to further investigate melatonin's impact on skin pigmentation, hair growth, and skin cancer development, emphasizing that local production of melatonin in the skin may be more relevant for skin health than serum levels. They propose melatonin as a promising candidate for dermatotherapy and preventive skin medicine due to its nontoxicity and natural product status. The review was supported by NIH grants without any reported conflicts of interest.