Though the news isn’t all that bad, it is worth considering that scientists and those in the health fields are still figuring out the best way to protect those of us who insist on playing in the sun (besides the obvious – just cover up!)
According to Wickelgren:
“Anyone who relies on sunscreen knows it is sticky, inconvenient, and easy to forget. But sunscreen has a lesser known, and more serious, downside: It doesn't adequately protect against the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Although ultraviolet (UV)-blocking sprays and creams protect people against sunburn and the milder forms of skin cancer--squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma--they do not form an effective shield against melanoma, which doctors diagnose in 132,000 people worldwide each year. Ironically, says a growing cadre of skin biologists, what seems to protect best against melanoma is something that sunscreens efficiently thwart: a deep, dark tan.
Dark-skinned people, who also tend to tan well, are up to 500 times less likely to get melanoma and other skin cancers than are fair-skinned individuals. The ability to tan confers protection, researchers say, regardless of the skin's background level of pigmentation. This is due in part to the UV-shielding effect of melanin, the pigment that makes skin cells dark, and perhaps in part to an acceleration of DNA repair that some believe accompanies tanning. But tanning in the sun is a fool's wager, dermatologists say, because it causes dangerous DNA damage, which may lead to cancer before it can be fixed. To provide a sun-independent alternative, scientists are now developing compounds that trigger tanning and DNA repair by acting on molecules that control the melanin production pathway.”
The complete story can be found in Science, March 2, Vol 315 pages 1214-12166.
