[Protection of the skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation]

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun or artificial sources can exert beneficial and/or damaging effect on human skin. Excessive UV radiation has been implicated in the increased incidence of skin malignancies and accelerated skin photoaging. Thus, the skin requires adequate protection and sunscreens are useful for this purpose. Physical (inorganic) and chemical (organic) filters protect the skin from the action of both UVA and UVB. Apart from sunscreens, avoidance of excessive exposure to sunlight is the most important recommendation to protect the skin.