Protective effects of tanning on cutaneous DNA damage in situ

Background: The incidence of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the Western world, has been shown to be associated with the degree of exposure to solar radiation. However, little is known on how human skin can be protected against UV-induced DNA damage by constitutive and induced pigmentation. Objective: To study the effect of skin pigmentation induced by a sun-bed-type of treatment on the formation of UV-induced DNA damage in human skin in situ, Methods: A photoproduct assay was performed in untanned and tanned skin of healthy volunteers. Results: There is no significant difference in the induction of photoproducts between untanned and tanned skin. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that constitutive skin pigmentation is more efficient than the induced one in protection against formation of photoproducts. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.