Thursday, February 26, 2015

Sun Damages DNA in Skin Cells Long After Exposure




Each year, research on the sun's affect on our skin becomes more and more abundant. If you aren't wearing sunscreen by now or are still hitting the tanning beds, this new study may finally change your mind. Scientists have discovered that the sun's ultraviolet light can cause damage to DNA long after the physical effects of sun burn have stopped, and "certain damaging reactions that can lead to melanoma-causing mutations may take hours to evolve and mostly occur after you get out of the sun."

This study was led by Douglas E. Brash of Yale University, and included scientists from around the globe. They came to the conclusion that 'radical species' (superoxide and nitric oxide) that are generated from ultraviolet light, damage DNA even after irritation from being out in the sun ceases.
These radicals react and create peroxynitrite, which oxidizes and fragments melanin polymers (a pigment that protects mammals from harmful sun rays). They discovered this by using compounds found in melanin, to create lesions (or "dimers") in DNA, which in turn leads to mutations causing melanoma, a.k.a skin cancer.

The team of scientists found that at least half of the dimers you can be exposed to come in the dark, rather than daytime. While direct DNA damage happens almost instantly, the lesions can take hours to develop. This research gives a lot of information regarding melanoma. 

I thought this article was very interesting because too many people still think that even if you're in the shade you can't be affected by the sun's rays, or that it's unnecessary to wear sun screen. Also, tanning beds are a direct feed of UVA radiation; people go to great lengths to get a tan and will practically cook themselves alive in these beds, not to mention it's highly unsanitary. I, too, was once a naive beach-goer who didn't put on sunscreen due to the fact I do not burn. I have since learned that even if you do not get sun burn, it is still extremely important to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays, or you run the risk of getting skin cancer. 

7 comments:

  1. I agree with this blog because UVA rays are getting much worse and people are just looking past it. Skin cancer runs in my family so we coat ourselves in sun block. My question is, do some people carry a gene that makes them more susceptible to get skin cancer?

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  2. That's a really great question, and I've actually asked myself the same thing in the past because I was really curious about it. I've done a little bit of research, and have come to the conclusion that yes, people can inherit an abnormal gene that makes them more susceptible to cancer. However, not all cancers are caused by inheriting a "cancer gene" (or dysfunctional genes that might lead to tumor growth). Skin cancer in particular could be inherited through genes OR it could be from environmental factors. Someone who has no family history of skin cancer could still develop it because of constant sun burn. When you get sunburn, you're really breaking down your DNA. The body can repair the damage, but maybe not completely. The mutated DNA could eventually lead to skin cancer. Below are a few websites I looked at to help answer your question. Hope this helps! http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-happens-when-you-get/
    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/genetics/skin/HealthProfessional/page2
    http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/geneticsandcancer/heredity-and-cancer

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  3. I found this article very informative. I try to put on sunscreen, but am very lax about it. This article has educated me further and this summer I will not be so careless with lack of protection.

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  4. I found this article very informative. I try to put on sunscreen, but am very lax about it. This article has educated me further and this summer I will not be so careless with lack of protection.

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  5. I found this article very interesting. I hate sunscreen but always try to put it on. After reading this it will make me think twice about skipping out on putting it on.

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  6. The harmfulness of ultraviolet radiation is truly incredible. Skin cancer is becoming so prevalent in society nowadays. Hopefully, we can all learn something from this article and start protecting ourselves!!!

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