Harmful Effects On Skin
Excessive exposure to UV radiation can cause genetic mutations to DNA that can lead to skin cancer. UV rays are the number one leading cause of non melanoma skin cancers, such as Basal Cell and Squamous Cell. It is believed that fair-skinned people have a higher chance of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. However not all UV rays have the same effects, UVA and UVB rays can cause different damage to the skin.
UVA rays are 95% of the Ultraviolet light on Earth. Most people are exposed to large amounts of UVA radiation in their lifetime. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeper than any other UV rays, it can cause the skin to age and wrinkle much faster. Just recently studies have been able to link it to skin cancer. In the basal skin layer of the epidermis there are skin cells called keratinocytes. When the keratinocytes are exposed to UVA radiation the rays can cause damage to the basal layer where most skin cancer can occur. UVA rays are the main tanning ray for tanning the skin, when exposed these rays cause damage over time. When the skin is exposed to UVA the skin darkens as it defense to prevent more damage to the DNA. A tan is just an injury to the skin's DNA. THis can cause mutations which lead to skin cancer.
UVB radiation is a bit different then UVA. It's intensities changes with season, time of day and location, the greatest amount of UVB hit the U.S between 10 am and 4 pm from April to October. UVB radiation can cause skin cancer to develop.It causes more damage to the external epidermis layers and is the main cause of most redness and sunburn on skin. Over time the skin cells DNA can become increasingly mutated causing cancer to form.
Read more about this topic: Ultraviolet Light And Cancer
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