ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The xenon arc solar simulator is the most commonly used light source in studies on immediate tanning, but there has been no report on the immediate tanning response in Korean skin induced by UVA from that source. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to measure the minimal immediate tanning dose(MITD) for UVA in Korean, brown skin. Methods: UVA irradiation was performed on normal back skin of twenty-six healthy Korean young adults, with increasing doses from 0.5J/cm2 to 4.5J/cm2 using xenon arc solar simulator equipped with appropriate filters. Visual assessment of MITD was done by two investigators. Results: The mean and standard deviations of MITD were 2.38+/- 0.65J/cm2 in 26 subjects. MITDs distributed from 1.0J/cm2 to 3.5J/cm2. There were no significant differences of MITD between skin type III and IV. Conclusion: Conclusively, we obtained the data on the MITD in Korean skin induced by UVA from the solar simulator. The results of this study may be valuable for the research into photomedicine and useful data for evaluating sunscreens.