How does UVA, UVB, and visible light affect skin health?
Damage occurs to all layers of the skin as a result of environmental exposure. 21 The shorter wavelengths of ultraviolet light, the UVB, have been shown to penetrate only the outermost layers, the epidermis, of the skin. Conversely, the longer wavelengths, the UVA, have been shown to penetrate through the epidermis and into the dermis. Visible light can penetrate the entire depth of the skin. Therefore, light has the potential of doing damage throughout the entire depth of the skin. This damage may be associated with a depletion of the skin’s natural antioxidant system.
