As the summer draws to a mild and enjoyable end, a new scientific development in the treatment and overall understanding of sunburns has emerged.
Researchers have found that TRPV4 — a particular molecule present throughout our skin cells — is not only completely responsible for much of the pain we associate with bothersome, itchy, red sunburns, but is also quite easy to manipulate in mice through the use of GSK205, a pharmaceutical compound known to inhibit the function of TRPV4.
What does that mean? It means we have the technology to possibly make sunburn pain a thing of the past. However, in doing so, our skin would not be able to sense when it had been overexposed to sun. This type of treatment would also not change the sun’s damaging effects on the skin of humans in any way. What does that mean? It’s not going to hurt anymore. But it’s going to hurt you. (Image: Flickr/Willcowan)
