Short- and long-term effects of UV radiation on the pigmentation of human skin
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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Studying Chronic Exposure of Mice to Ultraviolet B Radiation
Published on: August 19, 2025
Sergio G Coelho1, Wonseon Choi, Michaela Brenner
1Pigment Cell Biology Section, Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
The incidence of skin cancer, including cutaneous melanoma, has risen substantially in recent years, and epidemiological and laboratory studies show that UV radiation is a major causative factor of this increase. UV damage also underlies photoaging of the skin, and these deleterious effects of UV can be, in part, prevented in skin with higher levels of constitutive pigmentation. We review the clinical studies we have made in recent years regarding the rapid and the long-term responses of the pigmentary system in human skin to UV exposure.Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings (2009) 14, 32-35; doi:10.1038/jidsymp.2009.10.
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