Physics Case Study - Do Sunbeds Cause Skin Cancer?

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Claire Louise Harrington Capp – Physics Case Study

 

Contents

Title Page – Pg 1

Contents – Page 2

Introduction – Pg 3

The Structure of the Skin – Pg 4

The Electromagnetic Spectrum – Pg 6

How Skin Tans – Pg 7

Skin Cancer – Pg 8

Causes of Skin Cancer – Pg 9

Conclusion – Pg 11

Bibliography – Pg 13

Introduction

As the pressure on young people to become perfectly preened and tanned steadily increases, more and more turn to sunbeds as a way to find that perfect summer glow. However, the darker side to the story, the soaring numbers of skin cancer, are they paying for their vanity, or is it pure coincidence.

The title I have chosen to study is “Do Sunbeds Cause Cancer?”. Why? – Because in my opinion it is a currently pressing issue, so many young people today are turning to sunbeds, and with the sunbeds themselves becoming stronger and stronger, are we killing ourselves?

I’m looking for evidence to help me come to a personal conclusion. This will include articles either supporting sunbeds as a cause for skin cancer, with evidence from studies showing some undeniable correlation. Alternatively, I am also looking for evidence suggesting other causes, providing an alternative conclusion.

I hope by the end of this case study, I will have a better understanding of the effects of UVA/B radiation on the skin, and that I will be able to make a decision, as to what I think.

The Structure of the Skin

Many people actually know little about their skin, and as a result greatly undermine its importance. It is in fact the largest organ of the human body, making up on average around 16% of our body weight. It has a range of functions which are vital for our survival.

The skin is structured in layers with many different components integrated in these layers to help it fulfil the many tasks required of it constantly. The skin is required as a barrier between the outside world and our internal controlled environment, it is physically tough to protect us from various “nasties”, such as harmful chemicals or bacteria and viruses, it is protective towards deeper tissues against bangs and bumps, and when exposed to sunlight it produces an essential nutrient, vitamin D. It also serves as an important input of information to the brain, through the millions of nerves within the skin.

There are two main layers of the skin, which are above the third subcutaneous layer, basically the layer of fat which varies in thickness depending on a persons body weight.

Epidermis

The epidermis is the top layer, the layer we see when we look at our skin, it contains many different layers of cells within it, as is demonstrated by the diagram below.

[1]         The diagram can be found on the website, however, all labels were added by me.

The basal cell layer, is the deepest of all the layers in the epidermis, it is here that cells continually divide, supported by blood vessels in the dermis, producing millions of new skin cells every day.

As the new cells are made, they push older cells out of the basal layer and into the spinous layer. They start to become irregular in shape, flatter, as they lose their contact with the blood supply, also they start to build up the protein, keratin.

By the time a cell reaches the stratum corneum it is flat in shape, and dead, they contain the highest levels of keratin. The cells are arranged overlapping, creating a strong weatherproof surface.

Dermis

The dermis is the layer underneath the epidermis, which is a lot thicker, and also has a lot of different functions. This is where you find the blood vessels and nerves as well as the hair roots and sweat glands.

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The blood vessels contribute to homeostasis, maintaining a constant internal environment, as well as providing nutrients and removing waste. The nerves send information about our surroundings to the brain.

[2]

As you can see, the skin is an incredibly complicated organ, containing many structures, and many different functions.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum, describes the entire range of electromagnetic radiation, from the very low energy of radio waves to the very ...

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