UVA radiation is the most prevalent component of solar UV radiation; it deeply penetrates into the skin and induces profound alterations of the dermal connective tissue. In recent years, the detrimental effects of UVA radiation were more precisely demonstrated at cellular and molecular levels, using adequate methods to identify biological targets of UVA radiation and the resulting cascade impairment of cell functions and tissue degradation. In particular gene expression studies recently revealed that UVA radiation induces modulation of several genes confirming the high sensitivity of dermal fibroblasts to UVA radiation. The major visible damaging effects of UVA radiation only appear after years of exposure: it has been clearly evidenced that they are responsible for more or less early signs of photoageing and photocarcinogenesis. UVA radiation appears to play a key role in pigmented changes occurring with age, the major sign of skin photoaging in Asians. Skin susceptibility to photoaging alterations also depends on constitutive pigmentation. The skin sensitivity to UV light has been demonstrated to be linked to skin color type.
The growth of vellus hair and the secretion of sebum from vellus hair follicles were measured on the forehead, cheek, chest, shoulder and back of healthy men and women aged 15-30 years. Hair growth was assessed by computerized image-analysis of photographs and sebum excretion by the use of Sebutape followed by image analysis. The density of vellus hairs and the percentage of growing hairs were higher on the face than on the thorax (439 hairs/cm2 with 49% growing hairs on the forehead compared with 85 hairs/cm2 with 31.5% growing hairs on the back). The rate of growth ranged from 0.03 mm/day on the forehead to 0.13 mm/day on the back. The maximum length of vellus hair significantly decreased with age; otherwise hair growth was not affected by age or sex. Some variations in hair growth and sebum secretion were observed over a period of 3 months, but no consistent rhythms were detected. There was no obvious link between vellus hair growth and sebum excretion.
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