Saturday, December 26, 2009

What really happens to skin when it gets sunburnt?

Which are the wavelengths, that are most harmful? What is UVA %26amp; UVB?|||http://health.howstuffworks.com/sunscree鈥?/a>





%26quot;Sunlight arrives on earth in three forms: infrared (heat), visible light and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet light is classified into three categories:


UVA (315 to 400 nm), also known as black light, which causes tanning


UVB (280 to 315 nm), which causes damage in the form of sunburn


UVC (100 to 280 nm), which is filtered out by the atmosphere and never reaches us.


99% of the sun%26#039;s UV radiation at sea level is UVA. It is the UVB that causes most of the problems related to sun exposure: things like aging, wrinkles, cancer and so on, although research is increasingly implicating UVA as well.


One of the interesting things about UV radiation is that it is reflected by different surfaces. These reflections can amplify the effects of UV exposure. For example, snow reflects 90% of UV light. That is why you can get snow blindness and severe sunburns from skiing on a sunny day. Sand can reflect up to 20% of UVB that hits it, meaning that you can get extra UV exposure at the beach.





On the other hand, certain things absorb almost all UV radiation partially or completely. Glass is one of these substances - many glasses are very good absorbers of UV (which is why you may have heard that you cannot get sunburn in a greenhouse - just make sure it is glass and not plastic covering the greenhouse!). Most sunscreens use chemicals that have the same UV-absorbing properties.%26quot;|||i think that the skin cells just die and the vains i beleive pop.

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