If dark colors absorb sunlight and light colors reflect sunlight, why does the skin get dark when exposed to the sun as a mean of protection. Doesn’t that make the skin absorb even more sunlight since it got darker?
In: Biology
Your skin will absorb the light anyways, but UV doesn’t penetrate as deep, and is by far the most harmful. So, it’s more a question of absorbing at what depth.
And, the deeper skin layer is NOT the part you want damaged. The outermost layers are often dead, or rapidly being replaced, while deeper skin layers have a longer period of time before dying or are responsible for replenishing your skin.
Higher absorbance means less reaches this lower layer.
Latest Answers