Newly Developed Skin Cream Has Lots of Potential

A new cream developed by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital in Boston shows great potential. In tests, the cream was shown to trigger the skin to produce a tan with no direct exposure to sunlight. The success came during trials on genetically engineered fair-skinned and red-haired mice.

The genetically engineered mice were specifically designed to have a disorder so their skin acted in a way similar to that of fair-skinned and red-haired people. The disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum, causes people who are red-haired or fair-skinned to burn when exposed to UV radiation and sunlight as opposed to the normal tanning. The skin cells of those with this condition cannot repair the DNA damage caused by the condition. It is this lack of repair and damage which is the biggest cause of skin cancer.

The newly developed cream makes the skin behave as though it was exposed to the ultraviolet radiation of the sun. Red-haired and fair-skinned people do not tan properly due to a defect in which their skin is unable to produce the pigmentation that causes tanning. This lack of pigmentation inadequately protects the skin and therefore allows people with the disorder to burn as opposed to getting a tan. If human skin reacts in the same way as that of the mice the new cream will have several advantages.

The first of these advantages is that the cream will allow users to obtain a tan without being exposed to UV-light. This tan and subsequent pigment protection will cause the users skin to be better protected against damage and potential skin cancer.

Some doubts exist about the potential this cream will have on humans. Our skin is much thicker than that of mice, so the cream will have to penetrate deeply enough to produce the skin pigments that are needed for adequate protection. Human testing with the cream will begin shortly to ensure of its effectiveness.

The cream may be developed and marketed as two completely different products each highlighting a different feature of the cream. One may highlight the skin protection quality for those who are exposed to substantial sun. It may also be sold as the best tanning cream to hit the market providing the results everyone is looking for as well as added protection. If all goes well during testing on humans you can look forward to seeing the product on the market in the coming years.

More information about the cream and the experiment can be found in the journal Nature.