Sunlight begins to damage skin cell DNA the instant ultraviolet rays reach the surface. These rays carry enough energy to penetrate the outer layer and reach the living cells underneath. Inside each cell, the DNA acts as the instruction set that controls growth and repair. Ultraviolet rays disrupt this structure by causing nearby DNA bases to stick together in the wrong way. This forms small clusters that bend the DNA strand and interfere with normal copying and repair. As soon as the damage for