Epidermal barrier: Adverse and beneficial changes induced by ultraviolet B irradiation depending on the exposure dose and time (Review)

Permatasari,Felicia; Zhou,Bingrong; Luo,Dan

doi:10.3892/etm.2013.1175

Epidermal barrier: Adverse and beneficial changes induced by ultraviolet B irradiation depending on the exposure dose and time (Review)

Authors:
- Felicia Permatasari
- Bingrong Zhou
- Dan Luo
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Affiliations: Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
Published online on: June 21, 2013 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2013.1175
Pages: 287-292

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Abstract

Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces various harmful effects in the tissues, particularly disruption of the epidermal barrier. However, ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation has been applied in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, a skin disease in which the epidermal barrier is defective. We reviewed the homeostasis of the epidermal barrier and several studies investigating the adverse and beneficial effects caused by different doses of UVB irradiation in the epidermal barrier. It may be concluded that, despite the harmful effects of UVB irradiation on the skin, UVB irradiation is able to exert beneficial effects in the epidermal barrier when administered in suberythemal doses and over a relatively short period of time, with no clinically evident inflammation or barrier disruption. This may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the use of UVB irradiation in the treatment of skin diseases with a disrupted epidermal barrier, such as atopic dermatitis, while reducing or avoiding the side‑effects.

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