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We hear the talk all the time. Exposure to UV from sunlight causes 90% of premature skin aging of the skin. Many skin changes we used think were due to normal aging, such as easy bruising and so-called “age spots,” are actually a result of prolonged exposure to UV radiation. Sunscreen ads are full of references to the harmful UV rays of the sun. But what do we really know about what’s going on?

It starts with colors. The different colors we see are just different wavelengths of light. But beyond what our eyes can see are the wavelengths called ultraviolet or UV light. Basically, there are three types of harmful UV rays that sunlight contains.

UVC is defined as light with a wavelength of 100 – 290 nanometers. This type of light is nearly totally absorbed by the earth’s ozone layer. It’s almost a non-issue, except that it can also be found in mercury arc lamps and germicidal bulbs.

UVB has a wavelength of 290 to 320 nanometers. This is the bad guy of the group. It’s the light that has the most effect on the skin, causing sunburns, premature aging, and that horrible effect—cancer. Fortunately, UVB doesn’t penetrate ordinary glass, so you’re safe in your car or the other side of a window. Outside, UVB is its most intense between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, and in the summer months.

UVA (wavelength 320 to 400 nanometers) used to be thought to be relatively harmless, but now we know it can really damage the skin. In fact, not only does UVA get through your window or car windshield, it gets deeper into the skin that its brother waves. Its insidious effects are more constant—all throughout the day and the seasons. Beware!

What science now knows is that UVA and UVB light cause something now called “photoaging.” The basic process that’s going on is damage to something called collagen.

What exactly is collagen?
Just under the upper layer of skin is tissue made up of molecules called collagen. Collagen is the material that gives skin its strength. You can think of it as bricks that lie under a layer of paint. But instead of stiff mortar holding bricks together, there’s a material called elastin. Elastin keeps the skin flexible and tight, allowing it to bounce back when it’s stretched. It gives the skin the smoothness we find attractive.

Normally, as we age, our skin produces less elastin, sort of like what happens to a rubber band as it gets old and dry. But, on its own, this doesn’t happen as fast as it seems.

When we are in the sun on the beach or lounging on our decks, the UV radiation puts stress on our collagen. To return to our analogy, it’s like putting stress on those bricks. The mortar, the elastin, produces an enzyme to try and strengthen the bricks, the collagen. The results of this are tiny scars that are barely visible. But when enough of these scars form, they show up as wrinkles.

Then there are the free radicals.
No, they’re not left wing protesters. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that are one electron short. They go around looking for another molecule to steal from and, of course, the result is that they leave another molecule one electron short. This causes all sorts of instability. As a sort of police action, the elastin starts producing the enzyme that patches things up, but leave those little scars that eventually add up to wrinkles.

And lastly, there are the Langerhans cells.
They are specialized skin cells that are part of your body’s immune system. When something happens that causes skin cells to change abnormally, there’s a response that causes the cells to die—they actually commit cell suicide. This is a protective mechanism designed to stop cancer from spreading. Unfortunately when the skin is exposed to too much sunlight, a chemical is released that suppresses the Langerhans cells and keeps the abnormal cells from ending their own lives. The result is skin cancer.

The answer?
Use sunscreen when outside by all means, but use it in moderation. The best answer to stay in the shade and keep yourself healthy and looking young.

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