![]() ![]() Yarosh pulled it off in cultured dishes of UV-irradiated human cells first. In the three decades since, researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that liposomes can transport DNA repair enzymes into skin cells. Along the way, he founded a company to produce it all at scale: Applied Genetics Incorporated. Then he found a way to package it and other DNA-repair enzymes inside tiny spherical pockets of phospholipids called liposomes. In the 1980s he came up with a way to purify T4N5 that was faster, cheaper, and simpler than the techniques developed by Friedberg and his contemporaries. One of the first people to recognize this opportunity was a molecular biologist named Daniel B. The founder of Revlon famously characterized cosmetics as hope in a jar-but why would anyone settle for hope when they could actively rebuild their DNA? The idea was tantalizing, and potentially very lucrative. Once they’d been isolated, some scientists began to wonder whether these enzymes could survive in topical treatments and delivered into human skin cells. (Friedberg, the DNA-repair expert, developed a technique for doing just that in the early ‘70s.) Photolyases were derived from sources like plankton and algae. Neither do we produce the DNA repair enzyme T4 Endonuclease V, aka “T4N5”-an imposingly-named cousin of UV endonuclease that scientists first extracted from parasitized E. Humans don’t make UV endonuclease, either researchers found it in a bacterium called Micrococcus luteus. (Instead, we get by with a genetic patch-up called nucleotide excision repair, which is not only less efficient, but, let’s be honest, a lot less cool-sounding than photoreactivation.) Almost all organisms on Earth do, from animals and plants to bacteria and fungi, but at some point in their history, placental mammals like us stopped producing enzymes that heal DNA with light. Nicely done, evolution!īut evolution giveth, and evolution taketh away humans, it turns out, don’t produce photolyases. As in: They can repair DNA damage caused by sunlight … when they're exposed to sunlight. I say again: Photolyases are powered by light. Take photolyases: They’re activated by light from visible wavelengths through a process called photoreactivation. So I would have to see data to be convinced of that."ĭecades of research have shown these molecules and several of their cousins to be legitimately weird and wonderful enzymes. "And rubbing them into the skin, which is a multi-layered organ, doesn't necessarily ensure they're getting into cells. "And even if they were, enzymes are fragile," he said. But when I called him, he told me he'd never heard of any of those enzymes being applied via lotions or sunscreens. So was biologist Errol Friedberg, professor emeritus at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and an expert on DNA damage and gene-repairing enzymes. To protect your genetic code from the structural harm that can lead to skin cancer is one thing-to actively correct that harm is another challenge entirely. So I was surprised, on a recent trip to Florida, to learn something new about sunscreen: Recently, several products have become available that claim to repair DNA damage inflicted by UVB rays. ![]() "Well, actually, SPF 30 lotions block about 97 percent of UVB rays-4 percent more than SPF 15 and just 2 percent less than SPF 50” is the kind of #sunscreenfact I've been rattling off, insufferably, since the age of 7. I am also a compulsive sunscreensplainer. From viral cleansers and exfoliants that cost under $15 to luxury dupes recommended by the app’s “skinfluencers,” here are the best popular skincare picks to that actually get results.Having grown up in Tucson, Arizona, one of the sunniest cities in the world, I consider myself well-versed in the carcinogenic threat of UV exposure, the skin-sparing sanctity of shade, and the redeeming qualities of the sartorial atrocity that is the broad-brimmed hat. That being said, it’s important to examine each buzzy new product and trend critically (see: this winter’s drama surrounding Purito sunscreen, a former social media darling that faced a backlash over incorrect SPF labeling). Drugstore brands and direct-to-consumer newcomers alike have seen a surge in popularity because of a handful of posts or a particularly glowing testimonial. Joyce Park are also bringing their clinical knowledge to the platform, answering questions like “Should I wear sunscreen indoors?” and debunking popular skincare myths. Dombrowski and more sharing their knowledge in informative, witty ways while making a previously opaque industry slightly more accessible for everyone. The app has become one of the biggest new beauty spaces on the internet and an incubator for a new kind of influencer, with accounts like Skincare by Hyram, What’s on Vi’s Face, J.C. If you’ve spent any amount of time scrolling through Tiktok, you’ve probably ended up seeing at least a few #skincare posts.
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