Thursday Tanlines

SciTechDaily worries about Tanning’s Hidden Cost: Sun Exposure Can Disrupt Skin’s Microbiome

Researchers have shown that too much sun exposure negatively affects short-term diversity and composition of the skin’s bacterial make-up.

Skin, the largest organ of the human body, is home to a vast array of bacteria, fungi, and viruses – microorganisms that compose the skin microbiota. Among other things, these microbial populations, which are organized in complex community structures, protect against pathogens.

Prolonged exposure to UVR is associated with damage to DNA in skin cells, inflammation, and premature skin aging, yet intentional sun-seeking behaviors remain common.

Due to a lack of studies focusing on how individual behavior influences UVR-associated microbiota shifts, and how this may relate to skin health, researchers in the UK have now examined the effects of sun-seeking behaviors on the skin microbiota composition of holidaymakers.

“Here we show in a cohort of holidaymakers that their sun exposure behavior significantly affects the diversity and composition of their skin microbiota,” said Dr. Abigail Langton, principal investigator at The University of Manchester and corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Aging.

“We have demonstrated that the development of a tan is associated with lower Proteobacteria abundance immediately post-holiday. However, the microbiota of all holidaymakers was recovered a few weeks after they stopped spending extended time periods in the sun.”

But what if the bacteria assemblage encouraged by sunlight is actually better that what occurs when you sit around in the dark like a mushroom?

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in today's If All You See….