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New sunscreen achieves tanning without sunlight and can protect against skin cancer
Summer, sun, sunbathing: Many people use the time in the hot months to get a natural tan. But they also take a health risk, especially if the skin burns. A new cream will help to tan without risk of skin cancer in the future. In the market, the means is not yet.
Sunbathing endangers your health
Health experts repeatedly point out that the tan achieved by sunbathing is not healthy, but many Germans love to lie in the sun at hot temperatures. Especially in people with fair skin, the skin then burns quickly. However, this should be avoided because every single sunburn is added to your own skin account. This increases the risk of skin cancer. With a new cream, this danger could possibly be contained in the future.
Frequent and intense sunbathing increases the risk of developing skin cancer. With a new cream you should be able to tan without sunlight and without cancer. (Image: Sunny studio / fotolia.com) Tanning without sunshine
Browning without lying down in the sun sounds very appealing to fair-skinned people who are worried about cancer.
Self-tanning creams have been promising this for a long time, but such products do not lead to a true tan, but merely tint the skin temporarily.
The remedy, now reported by American scientists, is also applied to the skin. Unlike the self-tanner, however, it is there to promote the production of the "true" tanning agent melanin.
Melanin production is stimulated
Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, USA, have developed a substance that stimulates melanin production in the skin.
This pigment gives the skin and hair their color. The dye is intensified by sunlight and provides a natural protection against damage from UV radiation.
Therefore, populations that are more pigmented with high levels of eumelanin are less likely to develop skin cancer.
The protective effect of melanin is based on a process whereby the pigment converts a large portion of the radiant energy into harmless heat, thereby preventing DNA damage to the skin cells.
Darkening of the skin
Already in 2006, the researchers of the MGH reported in the journal "Nature" on a substance that will give a natural tan and protect the skin from cancer without the action of UV rays.
After experiments with mice, the effect has now been shown on the much thicker human skin.
The results were recently published in the journal "Cell Reports".
Dr. David E. Fisher of the Department of Dermatology at MGH, who led both the 2006 investigation and the current one, told Britain's BBC: "The remedy causes significant darkening of the skin."
"Under the microscope, you can see that it's really real melanin. It actually activates the production of the pigment without UV light. "
Further studies required
According to their own statements, the researchers were not primarily concerned with producing a tanning agent. "Our real goal is to develop a whole new protection strategy against UV light and cancer," said Fisher.
However, the cream is far from being commercially available. "We need to conduct safety studies that are always necessary with potential new treatment components," the lead investigator said in a statement.
"But it is possible that they may lead to new ways to protect against UV-induced skin damage and cancer."
Protect as well as possible from sunburn
Until that happens, you should always be guided by the UV index when you are in the sun. This index is compiled by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection in cooperation with the Federal Environment Agency, the German Weather Service and other institutions. It can be accessed online on a daily basis.
To prevent sunburn, it is important not to lose creaming. In addition, it is advised to spend a lot in the shade.
It should also be noted that sand and water reflect the harmful UV radiation and therefore there is a particular danger when swimming. Especially in the elderly, a good sunscreen is particularly important because their skin is more sensitive.
What must never be forgotten: the risk of skin cancer persists despite sun protection. (Ad)