Science & Technology: Tanning Reduces Inflammation, Increases Tolerance To UVR

Salon owners responded positively to our article titled, “Facultative Pigmentation: The Greatest Story Never Told” in the September 2007 issue, which showed that sensible, moderate and graduated tanning increases our tolerance to UVR (TUVR) in direct proportion to the level of tan (facultative pigmentation) attained and maintained because it confirmed what they have learned though years of experience and positive feedback from their clients.

On the other hand, the e-mails we received from the dermatology community were not as complimentary. They complained that our data was not supported by “hard” scientific data—despite the fact there have been numerous articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals over the past 30 years substantiating our claims.

We responded by pointing out that a) the majority of the anti-tanning data used by the dermatology community has no “hard” or “soft” scientific data to support it and b) a recent scientific article titled “Adaptation of the Human Skin by Chronic Solar-simulating UV Irradiation Prevents Ultraviolet-B Irradiation-induced Rise in Serum C-reactive Protein Levels” by Laihia, et al, published in the May 2005 issue of Photochemistry & Photobiology, not only substantiated our premise regarding TUVR with “hard” data, but also provided another good reason for tanning year-round—to protect the skin from the painful inflammation associated with overexposure to UVR.

The research showed that overexposure of the skin to UV radiation induces local inflammation and hypothesized that inflammation induced by erythemal UVB irradiation could elevate levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and that suberythemal repeating doses of solar-simulating UV radiation (SSR) would produce photoadaptation to such inflammation. High-sensitivity assays of CRP showed an increase by 42 percent in CRP concentrations in healthy human subjects 24 hours after a 3.0 minimal erythemal dose (MED) of UVB. However, preceding daily suberythemal doses of whole-body SSR for 10 consecutive days completely prevented the CRP increase.

OK, let’s take a look at what the article means. First, what is inflammation? Inflammation is the protective process by which the body responds to a localized injury or infection and it is characterized by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function.