UV Radiation and Your Skin

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UV Radiation and Your Skin
By: John Grimes , Posted On: 2007-08-29

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As you age, your sk

n begins to show signs of the w

ar and tear of time. Much of th

s aging is caused by UV r

diation and how it impacts the l

yers of your skin.

UV Radiation and Y

ur Skin

UV stands for ultraviolet light. It is a f

rm of electromagnetic radiation produced as p

rt of the light spectrum by the s

n. There are three forms of the r

diation, known as UVA, UVB and UVC. Of th

se three, we are most exposed to UVA r

diation. The atmosphere of our planet bl

cks nearly all of the other two sp

ctrums, which is a good thing s

nce UVA is the weakest of the thr

e forms of radiation.

For most people, the d

se of ultraviolet light on an

verage day is actually quite small, but the

ffects can add up over time. Th

s is particularly true if you

ctively seek out the sun through sun b

thing and such. Over time, UVA r

diation acts upon the collagen in the

pidermis of your skin. It does not c

use a sunburn, but it penetrates d

eply into the layers of the sk

n and causes damage. The damage can

nclude premature aging of the skin, DNA d

mage that can result in mutations and p

ssible skin cancer. Because of this, it is v

tal that you use sun block th

t is oriented to provide protection

gainst UVA. Most sun blocks are t

ilored to UVB protection, which simply is not

nough protection.

The human body has a n

tural method of protecting itself from the

ffects of ultraviolet radiation. You probably

lready know what it is – t

nning. When you tan, your skin c

lor turns to a darker brown sh

de. The body accomplishes this by pr

ducing melanin in the skin, the f

nctional cause of the change of c

lor. The more melanin produced, the d

rker your skin turns and the m

re protection there is against ultraviolet l

ght penetration.

So, do you want to bl

ck all ultraviolet light from your sk

n? Oddly, the answer is no. The r

ason has to do with how y

ur body processes ultraviolet. In nominal

mounts, the UV light is actually b

neficial because the body uses it to pr

duce Vitamin D. Without Vitamin D, you can d

velop Rickets or other problems with the str

ngth of your bones.

At the end of the d

y, getting outdoors is a good th

ng. It is wise, however, to use a sun bl

ck that will protect you from

ltraviolet radiation.

The article UV Radiation and Your Skin was Submitted by John Grimes through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: John Grimes is with AllTrrainco.com - makers of natural sun protection products for the outdoors.

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