Increasing evidence regarding positive effects of exposure to sunlight has led to suggestions that current advice may be overly weighted in favour of avoidance. UV-A has been reported to lower blood pressure, possibly through nitric oxide (NO) production in skin. Here, we set out to investigate effects of UV-A and solar-simulated radiation on the potential source of dermal NO, the effective doses and wavelengths, the responsiveness of different human skin cells, the magnitude of inter-individual differences and the potential influence of age.