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Most people with psoriasis notice that their psoriasis improves after a stay in the sun. There is a very small percentage of people, whom the sun not only does not help, but vice versa - causes aggravation of their psoriasis (people with the so-called "summer type" of psoriasis).
So let's talk about the Sun in connection with psoriatic plaques as well as let's discuss sunburn and its action on psoriasis and on healthy skin.
To Tan or to Burn?
There are 2 types of skin changes under the influence of the Sun: suntan and sunburn.
The darkening or reddening after a prolonged stay in the sun is actually a sign of skin damage. People with darker skin are less subjected to the risk of sunburns due to the enormous activity of their melanocytes (skin cells that produce the pigment melanin); however, excessive effect of the sun causes sunburns in them as well.
Large amounts of ultraviolet light damages and changes the skin. Side-effects of excessive sun include the drying of the skin, the appearance of pigmented or vice versa de-pigmented spots, wrinkles, accelerates aging of the skin (Dermatoheliosis) and other problems including the appearance of psoriasis on the damaged sections. Excessive sunlight may also cause the development of skin cancers due to that, UV rays damage the DNA, the genetic material that makes up genes. If the genetic damage is severe, normal skin cells may begin to grow in an uncontrolled, disorderly way, i.e. cancer cells.
Some effects of the sun - suntan or sunburn - are visible immediately, but other effects, such as, for instance, the damage of the cell structure or damage of their regeneration system, accumulate and may appear only over the course of time.
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