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The sun and our skin

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Throughout human history, the Sun has been a source of reverence.  Our Sun beams life-giving energy to Earth that nourishes the plant and animal kingdoms.  Animals (including humans) eat both plants and as well as other plant-eating animals.  We also absorb the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum to fuel internal production of Vitamin D- an essential nutrient required for life.  On the other hand, UV can damage the collagen and elastin molecules that make up youthful skin turgor and UV can also inflict injury to the DNA in our cells, producing skin cancer.  Our skin has evolved to embrace and protect this delicate relationship with the Sun by utilizing melanin, a remarkable molecule that functions as the body’s built-in UV protection.  All humans, regardless of ethnicity, have the same number of melanocytes (the cells that produce melanin). This may come as a surprise to some, but every person has at least a minimum amount of melanin in all the skin cells.  There are two types of melanin: