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What is ultraviolet (UV) light?
Of the total solar radiation (the sun's energy given off as light, heat, radio waves, x rays) that reaches the earth, invisible UV light makes up only 3%, while visible and infrared make up the rest. UV light is further divided into three parts: UVC, UVB and UVA and is measured in units of nanometers nm.
UVC (200-280nm) - is considered to be potentially more capable of burning the skin and is almost completely absorbed by the atmospheric ozone layerUVB (280-320nm) - stimulates melanin (pigment) production; overexposure causes sunburn; is emitted in small amounts in low pressure tanning equipment
UVA (320-400nm) - is more intense than UVB; can penetrate deeply into the skin to potentially cause damage to underlying tissue; its longer wavelengh reduces UVA's ability to cause sunburn by a factor of up to 1000. UVA is emitted by all indoor tanning equipment and is considered to be the primary cause of long-term skin damage from the sun (photoaging).
UVB and UVA rays can affect the skin in a positive or negative way, depending on the dosage and scheduling of exposure.
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