• Question: why is our skin affected by the sun?

    Asked by anon-177339 to Andrew, Becky, Daniel, Helen, Nicola, Urslaan on 14 Jun 2018. This question was also asked by anon-177598.
    • Photo: Urslaan Chohan

      Urslaan Chohan answered on 14 Jun 2018:

      The skin is made up of cells, which is quite thin. When light gets through the skin, it can enter the cells below, which can cause damage. This is because the sun’s light is made up in part by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV light causes changes in the DNA of the cell, known as a mutation. This process is known as an induced mutation. The mutations can cause cells to grow abnormally, and at huge rates. These cells multiply rapidly and out of control, which then leads to cancers forming. A cancer is essentially a group of mutated cells that grow out of control. Skin cancers are known as melanomas.

    • Photo: Helen Littler

      Helen Littler answered on 14 Jun 2018:

      We get tanned when our body’s natural defense mechanism kicks in against damaging ultraviolet sun rays. When the defenses are overwhelmed, a toxic reaction occurs, resulting in sunburn.

    • Photo: Andrew Singer

      Andrew Singer answered on 14 Jun 2018:

      The sun’s rays are partly composed of ultraviolet light. These rays are damaging to all organic life. If you have ever seen a canvas or plastic tarp left outside for many months, you’ll see they decay as well. Our skin breaks down from exposure to the sun, as well. The tanning process is our body’s way to limit this decay–but it still happens.

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