Fake tan 'could protect' against cancer
Thursday, 21 Sep 2006 16:37
Cream could end days hiding under the umbrella
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Scientists believe that they have created a cream that not only gives a fake tan but also helps to protect the skin against cancer.
Skin cancers are extremely common, with more than 70,000 new cases registered each year in the UK.
According to Cancer Research UK, every year roughly 8,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, leading to 1,800 deaths annually.
It is a particular risk for fair skinned people, many of whom have a hormonal defect which prevents the skin pigment melanin being produced properly.
New research from scientists analysing pigmentation in mice have created a skin treatment that was found to mimic the ability to counter the effects of ultraviolet rays and therefore reduce the risk of cancer.
Publishing their results in the journal Nature, the researchers directly applied an application created with the plant-derived compound forskolin to the skin. This application was found to restore the hormonal defect affecting melanin production in genetically-engineered fair-skinned mice as well as causing a 'sunless' tan.
The resulting skin pigmentation also helped to ward off the DNA damage from subsequent exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which can lead to cancer.
The application is therefore thought to afford "significant protection" to the skin in avoiding cancer.
Although the scientists praise the success of the treatment in mice, they conclude in their Nature study: "It remains to be seen whether topical melanisation will be achievable in man, and whether it would afford measurable protection against UV skin damage and cancer."