The dermis is produced largely by fibroblasts, which during embryonic development are part of the mesenchyme. The fibroblasts produce the collagens and elastins that make skin very durable, from within. Melanocytes Melanocytes are cells in low abundance in the epidermis that produce the pigment melanin. The pigment made in melanocytes is transferred to the cells of the hair or epidermis. There, the melanin granules accumulate around the nucleus of each keratinocyte.
Melanin protects the DNA in the nucleus from UV radiation damage.
When melanin is produced and distributed properly in the skin, dividing cells are protected from mutations that might otherwise be caused by harmful UV light. Differences in skin color are due mostly to differences in the types and amount of pigment in our keratinocytes. During embryonic development these cells migrate from the neural crest into the skin. These are star-shaped resident immune cells, macrophages. A macrophage is a cell that protects your body from injury or illness.