Do baby take their mom or dad skin color?

Babies typically inherit a mix of their parents' skin tones, resulting in a unique skin color that may not exactly match either parent. Skin color is determined by the amount of melanin in the skin, which is produced by melanocytes. Melanin is a pigment that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color.

The genes responsible for skin color are inherited from both parents. Each parent contributes half of the genetic information that determines a baby's traits, including skin color. The exact combination of these genes can result in a wide range of skin tones, even within the same family.

In general, a baby's skin color can be influenced by:

1. Genetic Variation: Skin color is a polygenic trait, meaning it is influenced by multiple genes. The specific combination of these genes inherited from both parents determines the baby's skin tone.

2. Dominant and Recessive Genes: Some genes for skin color are dominant, while others are recessive. A dominant gene only needs to be inherited from one parent to express its trait, while a recessive gene must be inherited from both parents to manifest its effect.

3. Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as sun exposure and overall health can also influence a person's skin color over time, but these effects are usually subtle.

Therefore, it is not possible to predict precisely what skin color a baby will have based solely on the skin colors of their parents. Instead, the baby's skin color will be a unique blend of the genetic information inherited from both parents.