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The Photobiology of Human Skin

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Photobiology

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Abstract

The skin, a large and complex organ, is divided into three layers, each comprising a variety of cell types. It contains its own immune system. The changes occurring in the skin during the induction and elicitation phases of contact and delayed-type hypersensitivity are outlined as examples of cutaneous immune responses. The exposure of human skin to solar UV radiation can result in a number of effects, some with adverse health outcomes, and the mechanisms involved in each are explained. Pigmentation can develop (immediate pigment darkening and delayed tanning), depending on the phototype of the individual. If the exposure is greater than the minimal erythema dose, sunburn occurs. The features of photoageing are found in chronically sun-exposed skin. Skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in fair-skinned subjects, is also associated with sun exposure, either cumulative or intermittent but intense. The two forms of nonmelanoma skin cancer are squamous cell cancer and basal cell cancer, while the third type of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is less frequent but more dangerous. Solar UV radiation causes suppression of cell-mediated immune responses, and the implications of this downregulation for the effective control of skin tumors and infectious diseases are considered. Finally, the photodermatoses, which represent a diverse group of conditions linked to abnormal skin responses to UV and/or visible radiation, are described in brief.

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  1. Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Mary Norval

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  1. Mary Norval
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Correspondence to Mary Norval .

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  1. School of Life Science, Department of Biology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China & Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lars Olof Björn

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Norval, M. (2015). The Photobiology of Human Skin. In: Björn, L. (eds) Photobiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1468-5_24

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