'Super melanin' heals skin injuries from sunburn, chemical burns | Hacker News Reader

'Super melanin' heals skin injuries from sunburn, chemical burns

medicalxpress.com

109 pointsPaulHoule14 comments

I have to wonder if this is a potential help for Type 1 diabetics, since their melanin levels seem to decrease[1] as a symptom of the disease?

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24623500/

Could be a huge blessing for T2s too, who often have issues with e.g. foot ulcers that are very hard to heal because the skin is constantly under loading/flexing.

The "chemical burns" in the title are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_mustard burns, a blistering agent and schedule 1 substance under the chemical weapons convention.

Specifically, nitrogen mustard is under part A of schedule 1, which means it can directly be used as a chemical weapon (schedule 1 means it has very few or no uses outside of chemical warfare, or the manufacture of chemical weapons). Interestingly, nitrogen mustard is also used to treat some cancers.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki...

* in human flesh Petri dishes

Which is awesome!!!

At least it's not mice.

What's wrong with mice? IANAB, but rodents are surprisingly close to humans on the phylogenetic tree.

Because it is fucking cruel.

That too. But more that it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

What’s wrong with mice is mice aren’t humans and people post a million articles about medical research they’ve done that will make us live longer or cure cancer or or or

Except it only works in mice.

Whenever I read about sun exposure, I remember tWilliam McElligott who accumulated sun damage on one side of his face after being a delivery truck driver for 28 years.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/An-authentic-photo-delin...

Wow, if this turns out to really work it will be an absolute game changer in skincare. Protection from free radicals and UV damage, goes on clear, nontoxic and biodegradable, scavenges heavy metals? Tell me why this shouldn't become a daily must-have for everyone that can afford it.

I have a bad burn on my leg, looks like a shark bite - I wish this would be out so I could try it on my leg burn maybe it could look a little more normal

" We know sun-exposed skin ages versus skin protected by clothing, which doesn't show age nearly as much."

Is this why vampires seemed to live longer?

So whilst this reinforces the benefits of managing immune system response to reduce inflammation, would an anti-inflammatory diet, vegetables, acetic acid, zinc, magnesium, manganese, omega3's, leucine, lysine, histidine etc etc also have a similar effect, once its been consumed for long enough, whilst being mindful of the fact that things like the bones take a total of 10years to fully remodel?

As a cosmetic product it would certainly have its uses in much the same way wallpaper can cover up problem walls in a property and give some smart phone filters a run for their money as well.

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