Therapeutic sunscreen?
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
A team of researchers have developed two "commercially attractive prototypes" of a sunscreen ingredient capable of repairing skin-damage caused by UV light and helping prevent skin cancer, according to a Sept. 7 release from the University of Bath. The novel ingredient reduces pain and inflammation by "moping up" iron released when skin burns, according to the release. The ingredient can also prevent buildup of free radicals generated by sunlight, which can lead to skin cancer development, and increase the efficacy and durability of sunscreen, the University of Bath adds. The prototypes, which contain "caged" iron binding sites which release chelators in response to high doses of UV light, are currently in lab trials and human trials are expected in the next two to three years, according to the release. The light-responsive feature prevents the cell-toxicity associated with chelators, researcher Charareh Pourzand, University of Bath explains. The prototypes are based on research published in the May 2006 Journal of Investigative Dermatology...