Editing Sunlight (section)

===Sunbathing===<!-- This section is linked from [[Naturism]] -->
{{Main|Sun tanning}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2015}}
[[File:YBF 2010 ja Bikini Bar.jpg|thumb|upright|Sun bathers in Finland]]
Sunbathing is a popular [[leisure]] activity in which a person sits or lies in direct sunshine. People often sunbathe in comfortable places where there is ample sunlight. Some common places for sunbathing include [[beach]]es, open air [[swimming pool]]s, [[park]]s, [[garden]]s, and [[sidewalk cafe]]s. Sunbathers typically wear limited amounts of clothing or some simply go [[Nudity|nude]]. For some, an alternative to sunbathing is the use of a [[Tanning bed|sunbed]] that generates [[ultraviolet]] light and can be used indoors regardless of weather conditions. Tanning beds have been banned in a number of states in the world.

For many people with light skin, one purpose for sunbathing is to darken one's [[Human skin color|skin color]] (get a sun tan), as this is considered in some cultures to be attractive, associated with outdoor activity, [[Vacation|vacations/holidays]], and health. Some people prefer [[Naturism|naked]] sunbathing so that an "all-over" or "even" tan can be obtained, sometimes as part of a specific lifestyle.

Controlled [[heliotherapy]], or sunbathing, has been used as a treatment for [[psoriasis]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Nguyen |first=Tien V. |title=Ultraviolet Therapy for Psoriasis |date=2014 |work=Advances in Psoriasis |pages=91–110 |editor-last=Weinberg |editor-first=Jeffrey M. |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4471-4432-8_8 |access-date=2025-04-23 |place=London |publisher=Springer London |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4471-4432-8_8 |isbn=978-1-4471-4431-1 |last2=Koo |first2=John Y. M. |editor2-last=Lebwohl |editor2-first=Mark}}</ref> and other maladies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Alora |first=M. B. T. |last2=Fitzpatrick |first2=T. B. |last3=Taylor |first3=C. R. |date=1997-10-12 |title=Total body heliotherapy |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0781.1997.tb00225.x |journal=Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine |language=en |volume=13 |issue=5-6 |pages=178–180 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0781.1997.tb00225.x |issn=0905-4383}}</ref>

Skin tanning is achieved by an increase in the dark pigment inside skin cells called [[melanocyte]]s, and is an automatic response mechanism of the body to sufficient exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun or from artificial sunlamps.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahmad |first=Shamim I. |title=Ultraviolet Light in Human Health, Diseases and Environment |date=2017 |publisher=Springer International Publishing AG |isbn=978-3-319-56017-5 |series=Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology |location=Cham}}</ref> Thus, the tan gradually disappears with time, when one is no longer exposed to these sources.