UV or ultraviolet lighting, as you have probably heard, is not the best thing for your skin and DNA. While Sun exposure does have some benefits, such as improving our mood by producing chemicals called tryptamines and triggering the production of vitamin D, which helps fight colds and fight depression, prolonged exposure to Sun is not recommended.
Here are a few reasons why that is so:
- Causes sunburns
Too much exposure to UV lighting will burn your skin. The lighter your skin tone the worst the burns will be. This is caused by the fact that UV lighting damages the skin, which then prompts the blood to flow to that area to repair the damage, turning your skin red in the process.
- Aging skin
UV rays destroy collagen, which is the main structural protein in the skin and the connective tissue under the epidermis. Because of this, skin loses its elasticity and the more you expose your skin to the Sun the more wrinkles you get, especially if you don’t use an SPF, such as ColoreScience Sunforgettable.
- Harms the immune system
Without a strong immune system, we are at the mercy of various bacteria, viruses, microbes, diseases and infections. There are many things that affect the immune system both positively and negatively and UV radiation is one of the main ones.
Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays will damage the person’s immune system and leave it vulnerable to harmful microorganisms.
- Skin cancer
UV lighting can also cause skin cancer. In fact, this is the number one cancer cause in the environment. Melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are all caused by overexposure to Sun.
To put things in perspective, think about this. Our planet’s atmosphere blocks about 98% of UV radiation. The remaining 2 % that does get through is responsible for nearly 90% of skin cancers.
