I read on https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/sun-damage-occurs-even-after-sunset/:
- When UV light hits the skin , it causes a type of DNA damage known as a cyclobutanepyrimidinedimer (CPD) , in which two adjacent bases attach , causing a bend that makes it difficult for the cell to copy its DNA correctly. During UV exposure, many CPDs are instantly created in skin cells, but the DNA is able to repair itself by removing most of the CPDs and replacing them with normal DNA. In a study published in the journal Science, Douglas E. Brash, PhD, Clinical Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and Dermatology, and a member of Yale Cancer Center’s Radiology and Radiotherapy Research Program, and his colleagues found that melanocytes, the cells that form melanin, continued to generate CPDs for several hours after UV exposure ended. Interestingly, cells without melanin generated CPDs only during UV exposure.
- It also creates an opportunity. The delayed pathway should be interceptable at several points, creating an opening for an “evening-after” sunscreen that might prevent the enzyme activation or divert the energy from the excited electron into heat before it can damage DNA.
This article is over 6 years old. Does any drug/cream help prevent DNA damage after one has been exposed to UVs?