HOW DOES THE SUN HARM SKIN?

THE SUN HAS THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF UV RAYS.

The sun sends energy towards the earth in a few different ways:

1. visible light that you see (UVA)

2. infrared radiation that you feel as heat (UVB)

3. rays of UV radiation that you can’t see or feel (UVC)

What are the differences between the sun’s rays?

UVA (think A is for Aging). UVA is ultraviolet radiation that we don’t see or feel. This is the sun’s longest wavelength. It passes through the atmosphere, it passes through water, it passes through glass and even passes through clothing. This is the ray that passes through your epidermal skin defenses and goes deep into your dermal structures causing damage to collagen, elastin and fibroblast cells that are responsible for making both collagen and elastin. The UVA rays cause damage to DNA at the cellular level. Because photodamage happens in the deepest layers of the skin – the dermis – it can take years of accumulated damage to surface and become visible.

UVB (think B is for Burning). UVB is the second longest ray. This is the sun’s infrared feel-good ray. It heats the skin. It causes you to produce endorphins, the happiness hormone. UVB rays don’t penetrate the skin to the same degree as UVA. Yet over exposure to UVB causes sunburn, blistering and over time UVB also causes damage to the DNA of the top layer or epidermal level of skin. UVB rays are associated with premature aging of the skin: uneven skin tone, dark spots, and causes most skin cancers.

Damage from both UVB and UVA rays is cumulative and increases your skin cancer risk over time. While your body can repair some damage to DNA, it can’t repair all of it. The unrepaired damage to your skin cells builds up over time and triggers mutations that cause skin cells to multiply rapidly. This can lead to both cancerous (malignant) and harmless (benign) tumors. UVB rays are also responsible for

Reducing risk of damage from the sun.

You can easily reduce your likelihood of developing skin cancer by protecting yourself against UV radiation.

Finally, there are UVC rays. This is the sun’s shortest wavelength and the highest energy level of the three types of UV rays. As a result, they can cause serious damage to all life forms. 

Fortunately, most UVC radiation is completely filtered out by the ozone layer. As a result, these rays from the sun do not reach the ground. 

Although not considered a risk for skin cancer, UVC rays can cause severe damage to human eyes and skin, including burns, lesions, and ulcers on the skin.