Sun & Skin

Human skin has a curious relationship with the sun: we require vitamin D which our skin can synthesize from sunlight, yet we know that UV radiation is directly responsible for certain types of skin cancer. Each year over 1 million Americans and 430,000 Australians are diagnosed with some form of skin cancer, while doctors are beginning to prescribe vitamin D supplementation for individuals to avoid the onset of certain diseases. This expanding section explores, in depth, some of the key issues in the relationship between human skin and sunlight and UV to help improve understanding of these vital topics.