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Sunlight consists of three major components which affect the skin. The ultraviolet (UV)component induces pigmentation in the skin by stimulating the melanocytes. These rays also promote epidermal cell proliferation and normal keratinisation. They also have degerming effect on the skin and lead to formation of vitamin D. The age-old Indian practice of ritual bathing in the rivers or tanks on auspicious days and exposing one’s skin to sunlight seems to have a medical basis. The infrared component of the sunlight is composed of heat waves which tend to increase the circulation of blood in the skin and help in repair and regenerative processes. The visible component of the sunlight also produces some minor effects on the skin. Ultraviolet light produces the maximum effect on the skin.

It is a common observation that areas of the skin which are routinely exposed to sunlight are darker than those which are not exposed. This is because repeated exposures to sunlight stimulate the formation of pigment in the skin. The more the exposure the darker the skin. This is also the reason why populations living nearer the equator, where the exposures to sunlight are maximum, are darkly pigmented while the people living farther off, in the north or the south of the globe where the skin is exposed to sunlight only for short periods, are fair skinned. If a person with a fair skin starts exposing himself to larger amounts ofultraviolet light, the skin becomes darker, and if a person with dark skin moves to a place where the ultraviolet component of light is less, his skin becomes lighter.