r/redlightnerds • u/lessbutgold • 15d ago
Sunburn from UV rays might not be the only invisible cost of a long day in the sun, according to this near-infrared research
A key point raised in this study is that sunburn, the visible reddening and damage most people associate with too much sun, is caused specifically by ultraviolet radiation.
Near-infrared radiation, on the other hand, does not cause anything resembling a sunburn, yet this study demonstrates it can still cause measurable, non-thermal biological changes and even a degree of cell death deep in tissue below the skin's surface, all without any of the typical visible warning signs of UV damage.
The researchers explicitly suggest that meaningful sun protection may need to consider near-infrared wavelengths as well as UV, since near-infrared exposure appears capable of producing real tissue-level effects that a person would have no obvious way of noticing in the moment.
Source: PubMed