Certain bacteria on your skin may well protect you from skin cancer and melanoma. These bacteria make a compound, 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine, (6-HAP), that disrupts DNA synthesis, inhibiting rapidly dividing cells. While this blocks malignant cells, it doesn’t seem to affect healthy cells. In fact, clearly, this action protects you.
So say University of California, San Diego, scientists. The commensal bacterium is Staphylococcus epidermis, and it is regularly found on the skins of healthy people.
Chris Woollams, former Oxford University Biochemist and a founder of CANCERactive said, “For years, we have been presenting research that showed skin cancer, and especially melanoma, had less to do with sunshine but may have more to do with the damaging creams and sunscreen people are encouraged to plaster on their skin every hour when on the beach. Research like this shows the weakness in these ‘slip, slop, slap’ arguments where cancer bodies are often sponsored by the sunscreen companies, to the detriment of our health.”