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The main types of UV rays that can affect your skin include UVA rays and UVB rays. UVB rays have more energy and are a more potent cause of at least some skin cancers, but both UVA and UVB rays can damage skin and cause skin cancer. There are no safe UV rays.
Everyone’s skin reacts differently to UV (ultraviolet) rays, but anyone can get skin cancer. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to UV rays, mostly from the sun, but from artificial sources, such as indoor tanning beds and sun lamps. People who get a lot of exposure to UV rays are at greater risk for skin cancer, so it’s important to understand what affects how much UV you are exposed to and how your skin might respond.
The strength of the sun’s UV rays reaching the ground depends on a number of factors, such as:
The US National Weather Service and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have developed the UV Index. Knowing the expected UV Index gives you an idea of how strong the UV light is in your area on any given day.
The UV Index reports the intensity (strength) of UV rays a scale from 1 to 11+. A higher number means there is a greater risk of exposure to UV rays and a higher chance of sunburn and skin damage that could ultimately lead to skin cancer. The UV Index is part of many weather forecasts and is reported on many weather apps that can be downloaded.
Image courtesy of epa.gov
The UV Index tells you the strength of the UV rays on a given day, but the amount of UV exposure you get also depends on:
Some people think about sun protection only when they spend a day at the lake, beach, or pool. But sun exposure adds up day after day, and it happens every time you are in the sun. Regardless of the time of year or season, UV rays can be strong enough to cause skin damage when skin is not protected.
Key steps to take and things to remember:
Some UV rays can pass through windows. This means even if you don’t feel you’re getting burned, your skin may still get some damage. UV radiation that comes through windows probably doesn’t pose a great risk to most people unless they spend long periods of time close to a window that gets direct sunlight.
Anyone who spends time outdoors in the sun is at risk for skin damage from UV radiation. People with light skin are much more likely to have their skin damaged by UV rays (and to get skin cancer), but darker-skinned people, including people of any ethnicity, can also be affected.
For some people with certain skin tones, their skin tans when it absorbs UV rays. The tan color is caused by an increase in the activity and number of melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells that make a brown pigment called melanin. Melanin helps block out damaging UV rays up to a point, which is why people with naturally darker skin are less likely to get a sunburn.
People with lighter or more pale skin have less melanin. They are more likely to burn from UV rays rather than tan. How quickly a person’s skin can redden when exposed to UV rays can vary, but usually, the fairer or lighter the skin, the quicker it will burn.
Sunburns can greatly increase your risk of skin cancer, including basal and squamous cell cancers and melanoma. But even for people who don’t usually get sunburned, UV exposure increase the risk of skin cancer.
In addition to skin tone, other factors can also affect your risk of damage from UV rays. You need to be especially careful in the sun if you:
No matter how sensitive your skin is to the sun, it’s important to know how to protect yourself from UV rays. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you are taking any medicines that could increase your sensitivity to sunlight.
The P站视频 medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Christensen SR, Wilson LD, Leffell DJ. Section 9: Cancers of the Skin. In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2022.
National Cancer Institute. Genetics of Skin Cancer (PDQ?)–Health Professional Version. 2023. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/skin/hp/skin-genetics-pdq on June 26, 2024.
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). UV Index Overview. 2023. Accessed at https://www.epa.gov/enviro/uv-index-overview on June 26, 2024.
Young AR, Tewari A. Sunburn. 2022. UpToDate. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/sunburn on June 26, 2024.
Last Revised: June 26, 2024
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