First the skin repairs itself at the cellular level from sun damage, then it protects itself from future radiation with another mechanism that leads to the development of the much desired bronzed pigmentation by activating melanin. And this the secret with which the tan developsunveiled by a team of biologists from Tel Aviv University and published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
The researchers started from the idea of solving a question that for many people who love the sea is a mysterious oddity: why does a tan appear only hours – or even days – after leaving the beach? With the study, based on human and animal skin samples, the research team explains they have a possible answer: depends on two processes in our skin cells, which occur one after the other.
When we are exposed to the sun’s UV rays, the body’s initial response is to prioritize the repair of DNA damage in cells. Subsequently, there is an increase in the production of melanin, a natural pigment in the body which also gives a dark color to hair and eyes as well. Melanin – produced and distributed by special cells called melanocytes – darkens the skin to protect it from future radiation exposure.
When we are exposed to UV rays, the first mechanism blocks the other up to when the DNA correction reaches its maximum, but this occurs a few hours after exposure to UV rays. “Genetic information must be protected from mutations, so this repair mechanism takes precedence inside the cell during exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun – underlines the study author, Professor Carmit Levy – the repair mechanism of DNA essentially tells all the other machinery in the cell, “Stop everything and let me work in peace.”
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