Skin tans the most when spending every other day out of the sun
24 October 2018
By Alice Klein
Skin tans most when you spend every other day out of the sun, according to a new study. This has the added effect of reducing DNA damage and premature ageing.
Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) rays that can damage DNA and lead to premature ageing and skin cancer. To protect against this, our skin produces melanin, a dark pigment that acts like a natural sunscreen. The pigment starts to form within hours of sunlight exposure and gives the skin a tanned look.
Carmit Levy at Tel Aviv University in Israel and her colleagues measured how much melanin mice produced when they were exposed to UV light every day, every second day, or every third day.
They assumed that melanin production would be highest in the mice exposed to the most frequent UV periods. “Similarly, you’d think that someone who went to the beach every day would tan more than someone who went every second day,” says Levy.
More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2183502-skin-tans-the-most-when-spending-every-other-day-out-of-the-sun/
