Controlled UV Exposure Builds Helpful SOX9 Protein

The protein needed to build melanin, the skin’s natural sunscreen, may now need sun to grow, a study shows.

Researcher at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health found that a protein in the SOX family can be regulated by UV radiation to form melanin.

NIH have identified SOX9, as a transcription factor known to control when and where genes make melanin, which in turn helps prevent against harmful UV exposure. It is cultivated in youth and develops into adulthood.

So enjoy healthy doses of sunshine, with proper clothing and at the best times of day: before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.