Biological effects of simulated ultraviolet daylight: a new approach to investigate daily photoprotection.

Background: The irradiance of standard ultraviolet daylight (UV-DL) is representative of most frequently encountered UV exposure conditions and simulators of UV-DL can now be used to properly investigate the biological effects of a non-extreme UV radiation. One of the characteristics of the simulated UV-DL used in this study is its dUVA to dUVB irradiance ratio, which amounts to 24, instead of close to 10, for the simulated zenithal UV radiation (UV-SSR).

Purpose/methods: The aim of our study was to compare photobiological effects induced, in human skin, by acute and semi-chronic exposure to simulated UV-DL with those induced by UV-SSR.