What is the inherited trait where a person cannot produce melanin called?

The trait where a person cannot produce melanin is known as albinism. This genetic condition results from mutations in the genes responsible for the production of melanin, the pigment that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color. Individuals with albinism often have very light skin and hair and are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers due to the lack of melanin, which provides some protection against ultraviolet radiation.

Vitiligo, on the other hand, involves the loss of skin pigment due to the destruction of melanocytes, leading to patches of lighter skin, but it is not an inherited trait in the same way as albinism.

Hypopigmentation refers to any condition in which there is less than the normal amount of pigment in the skin but does not specifically indicate the complete absence of melanin that characterizes albinism.

Hyperpigmentation is the opposite condition, where there is an excess of melanin leading to darker patches of skin.

Thus, the specific and complete inability to produce melanin is distinctly categorized as albinism, making it the correct term for the inherited trait described.