Cream Makes Skin Produce Sunless Tan

[Swede]

A cream which has been shown to trigger the skin to produce a tan without direct exposure to sunlight has been developed by scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston, USA. Studies on genetically engineered, fair-skinned, red-haired mice, were successful

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=52416

[niyad]

1. exactly how is this supposed to benefit anyone?

[Swede]

4. Prevention of skin cancer.

"The cream makes the skin behave as if it were hit by the sun's ultraviolet light. Fair-skinned people, as well as people with red hair, do not tan properly. They have a MC1R defect, a receptor which when triggered produces pigmentation. This defect means lower production of cAMP, a chemical which stimulates the melanocytes to produce pigmentation. In simple terms, this means that these people do not tan - they burn when exposed to sunlight. Many people with this rare genetic disorder have to stay in indoors while the sun is shining.

The more your skin is burned when exposed to sunlight the higher your chances are of developing skin cancer."

[niyad]

11. I am one of those fair-skinned people who burn, not tan-- it

does not bother me in the least to continue to be pale--I wear long sleeves and slacks all year round, use gallons of sunblock, and wear large hats and sunglasses. the california look is not for me.

[Swede]

12. Same here.

But a lot of people have to work outside,this would be a great help.

[unpossibles]

6. I'd say it's kind of obvious

I don't care for the tanned look myself, but obviously many people do, and if they can get it without the potential cancer, then great. yes, it's kind of "silly" and all, but many things in life aren't necessarily "useful" yet people still enjoy them.

Don't forget that even though there are many more important things to remember and to fight for, we also need to know how to relax and sometimes not take life too seriously as well in the interest of everyone being less stressed out and angry.

I know what you're saying (and agree) btw, I just think you're being a little harsh on what is a pretty innocuous topic. :)

[drm604]

7. Potential protection from skin cancer.

If human skin reacts in the same way to this cream, it will mean that fair-skinned and/or red haired people can be triggered to produce the same pigmentation.

Apart from developing a sunless sun tan, the cream also seems to protect the skin better from exposure to UV light, meaning better protection from skin cancer.

[aquart]

9. Uh, biggest thing in moisturizers now is self-tanning feature.

But that's just a temporary color change. Kinda orangey. But nonetheless popular among those of us who are dead white in summer due to our cube rat proclivities.

Now, real tans are a form of sun damage, aren't they? So the question is, how much damage do these "tans" do to the skin? If they trigger melanin protection without harming the skin, they help. Because we are going to need help during this climate change.

Potention billion-dollar industry. Looking with interest. What is our government doing to ensure that products developed from this will be manufactured HERE? (And that question needs to be appended to every single technological, pharmacological, or any other business announcement.)

[Deja Q]

2. And will they live long enough to develop skin cancer?

:o

[RC]

5. Us or the rats?

[whistle]

3. This is how donations to the American Cancer Society is being used

...to find a cure for cancer? :wtf:

[drm604]

8. To prevent cancer in fair skinned people. N/T

[whistle]

13. Tanning the skin prevents skin cancer? I thought these artificial

...tanning creams were bad for skin and lead to skin cancer because the color they produce does nothing to stop UV rays from harming skin cells.

<snip>
The Case Against Indoor Tanning
The evidence that ultraviolet radiation causes skin cancer is overwhelming and convincing. Despite this information, the use of indoor tanning devices which emit ultraviolet (UV) light, both in tanning parlors and at home, has never been more popular. Indoor tanning is big business, with tanning trade publications reporting this as a $2 billion-a-year industry in the United States. According to industry estimates, 28 million Americans are tanning indoors annually at about 25,000 tanning salons around the country.

Is It Healthy?
Over the last year, the indoor tanning industry has taken an aggressive stand, claiming that not only is indoor tanning harmless, but that it is actually healthy.
Tanning is an acquired darkening of the skin in response to ultraviolet radiation. The exact mechanism is unknown, though researchers have been able to induce tanning by applying fragments of DNA to animal and human skin. Not all people are capable of developing a tan in response to UV radiation exposure: Very fair-skinned people simply burn and freckle. In those who can tan, the brown pigment melanin is produced and distributed in the superficial portion of the skin (the epidermis) in the days following exposure. The development of this pigment minimally protects the skin against further damage from UV radiation.
This rather minor protection is cited to support the suggestion that a tan is healthy; that is not the case. In fact, the important point is that damage to the DNA must have been produced to create a tan in the first place.
<.....>
Public Policy on Tanning
Physicians and medical groups around the world have undertaken extensive campaigns to decrease excessive exposure to ultraviolet light in order to reduce the current epidemic of skin cancer. These efforts have been successful at educating the public. Surveys show there is increasing awareness that ultraviolet light causes skin cancer. Despite this knowledge, tanning indoors and outdoors is more popular than ever. Most studies suggest young women are the most frequent patrons of tanning salons. The development of photo aging and skin cancer will take years to become apparent in these young tanners, while the perceived social value of a tan is apparent immediately. It seems likely the indoor tanning industry will continue to actively market its services, including the rather dubious claim that indoor tanning is not only harmless but is healthy. Regulation of the tanning industry at the state and national level is important, especially to prevent false health claims from being made. Physicians and those concerned about preventing skin cancer can and should continue to play a major role in educating the public about the dangers of tanning, especially directing efforts towards young tanners.
<more>
http://www.skincancer.org/artificial/index.php

[drm604]

15. Did you read the OP's article?

The article you cite is not about creams or lotions. It's about damage caused by ultraviolet light from artificial tanning equipment, which is irrelevant. The OP's article is about something totally different.

Just because you've heard in the past that tanning creams are worthless or even dangerous doesn't mean that it's impossible for something new to come along that actually does work. The creams you're talking about dye the skin. This cream causes the skin to produce natural protective pigments just like it does in response to ultraviolet rays but without exposure to those damaging rays.

Whether or not it will actually be beneficial to humans is still an open question, as the article admits, but you can't dismiss it out of hand by equating it to totally different things.

[Swede]

10. This is great news for the fairskinned.

My dad had skin cancer twice,he worked outside and was very fairskinned. Here's more from the link to Nature.

The researchers say forskolin should be an effective shield against both ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B for both fair-skinned and dark-skinned animals. Albinos would not be good candidates as they lack the ability to create any melanin at all.

The work could also help people with xeroderma pigmentosum, who are about 2,000 times more prone to getting skin cancer than the average fair-skinned person. People with this rare condition cannot go outside without getting extremely burnt; affected children can get cancer at a very young age.


http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060918/full/060918-6.html

[aquart]

14. Well, the patents on products developed from this discovery

could fund research for a century.

[freethought]

16. Would you believe that there was a product that did the same thing

on the market back in the late 70s? I am dating myself here, but it was called "SuddenTan". I strongly doubt that it worked the same way. It was like shaving cream or some sort of weird lather. Dispense it from the aerosol can(likely filled with CFCs) it came in and apply it to the skin and it would give you a bronze tan.
I remember the TV commercial for the stuff appearing on TV twice or 3 times. I have no clue as to how the stuff worked. I seem to remember the stuff was yanked off the market nearly as fast as it came on the market. Something about it was "bad news".

And you want to know something even more scary? The simple fact that I was able to remember something like that.
The horror!

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[htuttle]

17. I remember that stuff, but think it worked differently

And it didn't make your skin quite 'bronze' -- more like 'orange'...:D

[freethought]

18. You're probably right. n/t