# Does Melanin absorb Ultraviolet A? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-melanin-absorb-ultraviolet-a/855571 "2020-06-12T22:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Contemplation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-melanin-absorb-ultraviolet-a/855571/1 "2020-06-12T22:52:17Z")
THe more melanin you have, the more UV your skin is protected from. From what Ive been reading, UVB causes skin cancer, while UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and breaks collagen. So UVA will make you age rapidly. With all my googling, I still don’t know whether melanin actually protects skin from UVA. Phrases like “black don’t crack” could be a myth. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-melanin-absorb-ultraviolet-a/855571/2 "2020-06-14T22:15:40Z")
> [@Contemplation](#): > > THe more melanin you have, the more UV your skin is protected from. > From what Ive been reading, UVB causes skin cancer, while UVA penetrates deeper into the skin and breaks collagen. So UVA will make you age rapidly. > > With all my googling, I still don’t know whether melanin actually protects skin from UVA. It does, but from what I’ve been able to [find](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/) the issue is complicated and imperfectly understood. [John Hopkins](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sun-safety)does confirm your general impression of the effects, thoguh. > [@](#): > > UVB rays cause a much greater risk of skin cancer than UVA. > > But UVA rays cause aging, wrinkling, and loss of elasticity.