The Dark Side

Ultraviolet Radiation

Skin cancer

What is melanoma?

Tanning: skin cells
in trauma

Home > The Dark Side of Tanning

About your skin

Your skin is your body's largest organ and it protects your body from the outside, including sunlight, heat, injury and infection. It also helps regulate your body's temperature, stores fat and water, and produces Vitamin D.

Your skin is made up of two layers. The innermost layer is called the dermis and the outermost layer the epidermis.

The dermis contains the blood and lymph vessels, hair follicles and glands.

The epidermis is made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Basal cells are the round cells that lie under the squamous cells in the epidermis. Melanocytes are found in the lower part of the epidermis and are the cells that produce melanin. Melanin is what gives your skin its natural colour – the colour you were born with. It's the distribution of melanin in the skin which results in different skin types, giving us either lighter or darker skin tones or skin with freckles or moles.

Personal traits such as how much melanin is produced and how it is distributed in response to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) influences whether we're likely to develop a skin cancer or melanoma. Our environment and behaviour also play a large role.

Over exposure
to the sun can cause irreversible damage to the structure of your skin cells which can in turn trigger the growth of a deadly melanoma.

Unlike other
skin cancers, a melanoma can end up in your lymphatic system or bloodstream, giving it easy access to other parts of your body.

Whether you're
playing sport in
the sun or just
walking to the
local shop, some
simple measures
will help protect your skin
and prevent skin damage.