Comprehensive Series in Photosciences, Volume 3

"Sun Protection in Man" looks at the beneficial and harmful effects of solar radiation. The physiological consequences of sun exposure have been systematically studied starting at the end of the nineteenth century and we now have accumulated knowledge about how Caucasian and Asian skins reacts to solar radiation. The chemical effects of solar ultraviolet radiation have been analyzed with particular emphasis during the second half of the twentieth century. Research on micro-organisms has allowed us to understand the mechanisms of UV-induced mutagenesis and photosensitization. Studies with laboratory rodents have opened the path to the understanding of UV-induced immune-depression, carcinogenesis, photo-damage and photo-aging. The results of these studies have enabled other scientists to investigate the same phenomena in human organs such as the skin and the eye. UV radiation damages hair, as well. The present knowledge in these fields is summarized in some of the chapters...