​​Blue light emitted by our screens has harmful effects on our eyes. Would that from solar radiation have an impact on our skin, and in particular the induction of skin cancers?

To this end, researchers at IRIG, in collaboration with the Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmétique laboratories, wanted to know if blue light did not degrade the repair enzymes that are responsible for eliminating the photoproducts induced in DNA by solar UVB radiation.

For this work, scientists reconstituted human epidermis in vitro. They exposed them to blue light, then UV rays. The results show that exposure to blue light significantly slows down the elimination of photoproducts.
The researchers then repeated the experiment by first applying to the skin models a sunscreen containing TriAsorB, which acts as a photoprotector against blue light. Under these conditions, DNA repair is no longer impaired by exposure to blue light. ​
Furthermore, a clinical study on volunteers showed the effectiveness of this sunscreen in protecting DNA during summer exposure.

​These data provide important information on the toxicity of solar radiation and lead to new avenues in terms of photoprotection.

​(Credit: CEA)