You must’ve heard that, we need to protect ourselves from UV radiations. But if UV rays are so damaging to our skin then why are we always constantly exposed to UV rays? Shouldn’t we be living in a UV protection bubble?
Let’s dive in today at Sphere medium and learn about Ultra violet radiations.
What is UV Radiations?
UV Radiations is a spectrum of light
That we can’t see with our eyes. It has
Three different types UVA, UVB and UVC.
UVC is filtered by the ozone layer around the earth, only UVA and UVB reaches earth.
UVA has a longer wavelength means that it penetrates deeper into our skin.
UVB has shorter wavelength and hits the top layer of our skin
So, UV radiations has many advantages as well as disadvantages. I’ll walk you through top 5 pros and Cons of UV rays:
Top 5 Benefits of UV Radiations
1. UV rays Stimulate vitamin D production
Vitamin D is essential for bone health, muscles and internal gut. So we actually get vitamin D3 from a lot of different sources, from fish, red meat, but most of vitamin D comes from the sun.
When UVB of the UV radiation hits skin it stimulates 7 dehydrocholesterol to change into Vitamin D3 and then vitamin D3 spreads out to entire body. Adult humans Requires roughly 600 international Units of vitamin D3/day however, if you’re exposed to Sun for 30 minutes to even 60 minutes /day you get up to 10,000 International unit of vitamin D3 on daily basis that means you only need very minute exposure to sunlight daily to get your vitamin D3 dose.
Keep in mind, sunscreen don’t hinder the synthesis of vit d, because when sunscreen is applied, it does not mean that none of UV rays get into your skin, example if SPF 50 sunscreen is applied about one to two percent of all UV rays can actually get into your skin and that itself is sufficient for your vitamin D3 Production.
2. UV Reduce Psoriasis
It helps to reduce psoriasis. It’s a skin disease characterized by overgrowth of the epidermal layer of skin. In severe psoriasis, patients are exposed with UVB Radiation in hospitals, because UVB Reduces the growth of the cells that are responsible for psoriasis so if you have psoriasis you should expose your skin to the Sun without any protection for at least one to two hours on a daily basis.
3. UV rays reduces atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a form of skin allergy when skin is exposed to something they are allergic to, it gets itchy and a chronic atopic dermatitis is then called eczema.
UVA and UVB reduces the inflammation which is the underlying cause of atopic dermatitis. Constant exposure to UV rays thickens the top layer of epidermis which would then help with skin barrier because eczema is an issue with thin skin barrier and UV rays also act as a form of sterilization, killing the bacteria which causes infection in atopic dermatitis.
4: Effect of UV radiations on Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a skin disease whereby amount of pigment in skin is reduced. The underlying cause of vitiligo is autoimmune, it means their own immune system attacks the cells producing melanin. Now, when exposed to UVB two things actually happen, 1.The amount of melanocytes being generated inside cells are then pushed up from the dermis to the epidermis and secondly, UVB have an immunosuppressive mechanism too.
So in hospitals, vitiligo is treated by exposing patients to high dose of UVB radiation for 50 minutes to an hour roughly one to two times a week.
5. UV as a Mood Booster
UV rays also effects mental health and helps to reduce depression. Remember in point one we discussed that, UV rays produces vitamin D in skin, now vitamin D is a very important step in serotonin production and serotonin is a happy hormone so reduction of vitamin d means reduction of serotonin.
It’s noted in countries having prolonged winters , when people are not exposed to long periods of sunlight, cases of depression goes up, Studies show, that prolonged exposure to UVB actually helps in mood elevation and at the same time helps to reduce depression .
So if you’re depressed or you’re feeling down take a nice holiday, go to the beach and expose yourself to a lot of UV Radiations.
Top 5 disadvantages of UV Radiations
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1. Sunburn
UVB literally cooks the top layer of skin, which triggers a form of cytokine release that forces the skin to exfoliate itself.
2. Skin cancer
Studies show that short-term, large exposure to UV rays increases the risk of skin melanomas, which are a very aggressive form of cancer that can lead to death.
3. Premature aging
UV radiations damages collagen and elastin of skin along with part of the DNA which gives cell time duration, so a shorter time duration means that wrinkles appear at a much quicker rate. Which means that when you’re exposed to high UV rays, you’re going to get hyperpigmentation, skin starts to dry up much quicker, and at the same time, wrinkles start to appear at a much younger age.
4. Prolonged UV radiations reduce the immune system
Prolonged UV rays exposure produces immunosuppressive antigens, which suppress the immune system, causing a higher chance of skin diseases, especially a higher rate of skin cancer, so be careful of chronic prolonged exposure to UV rays because it reduces the immune system.
5. cataract
A cataract is a disorder of the eye affecting the lens, making vision blurry. The cornea, which is the outer layer of the eye, acts like skin, reproducing itself regularly.
Because of the damage or sun exposure over time, the repair reduces, and when this happens, the lens gets blurred.
Cataract is a major problem all around the world, especially in countries with very high rates of sun exposure, so protect yourself by wearing proper sun shade as prolonged exposure to UV radiation causes cataracts.
On a side note, even though this article shared on Spheremedium is about the pros and cons of UV radiations, please make sure that you wear sunscreen because the positive effects of UV rays can be enjoyed with moderation, and excessive exposure is dangerous.
I suggest you go through this article aswell “Sunscreen Slip-Ups: 10 Surprising Mistakes to Avoid for Maximum Sun Protection”
FAQs
Not only does it enhance mood and treat certain skin conditions like eczema, vitiligo, its crucial for bone health as it helps in production of vitamin D
uv rays promotes release of a happy hormone be, known as serotonin, which plays an important role in improving mood.
Not only does it cause sunburn, premature aging, prolonged exposure of uv may cause skin cancers
Yes, UV radiation is a major risk factor for skin cancer, as it damages skin cells’ DNA, leading to mutations and uncontrolled cell growth.
By breaking down collagen and elastin of skin.
I am a dentist, baker, and fitness and health enthusiast with a passion for living life to the fullest. I am foodie and explorer, always seeking new adventures and flavors. Currently working on my own skincare brand.