Approximately 90% of all skin cancers are believed to come from exposure to the sun’s ultra-violet rays.  These are the invisible rays and are part of the many forms of solar radiation.

Ultra-violet ray spectrum covers a range from about 4 to 380 nanometers (nm).  A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.  The whole spectrum is made up of three sections:  UVC rays from about 100 to 280nm, UVB rays from about 280 to 320nm, and UVA from about 320 to 400nm.

Only UVB and UVA reach the earth’s surface and are therefore the ones that have a strong bearing to our overall skin health.

UVB has longed been regarded as the tanning ray and is the strongest in the summer months.  In moderation, these rays help to induce tanning.  As a result, the skin is protected from too much exposure to the sun by thickening the epidermis (outer layer of skin).  However, more often than not, people are suffering from sunburn because of prolonged exposure to these rays.

UVA was regarded in the 80’s as the safe ray.  As a result, the use of UVA was widely promoted in tanning beds and tanning salons.  We now understand that UVA is not better off than UVB.  Indeed these rays can penetrate the skin more deeply, causing skin wrinkling and leathering. They can result in more permanent damages to the skin cells called keratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis, inevitably enhancing the chance of such damaged cells to becoming cancerous.

In order than we can effectively protect our body from UVA and UVB damages, using sunscreen products with a SPF of at least 15+ is highly recommended.