BEIJING, Sep. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientific evidence shows there can't be anything like a safe tan, said a study in the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research as reported by media Thursday.    

    The U.S. and British researchers said in their study that tans and skin cancer both begin with DNA damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet light.

    "The signals in the cells that induce sun tanning appear to be DNA damage," said Dorothy Bennett, a cell biologist at St. George's, University of London.

    "DNA damage is the first step in getting a mutation in cells that could lead to cancer, so there is no such thing as a safe tan."

    The link between skin cancer and damage from ultraviolet light from the sun is well known but the study suggests that even a little exposure is dangerous.

    While genetic and other factors also contribute to skin cancer risk, mixed messages about the safety of ultraviolet light confuses the public. Getting some sunshine is important because ultraviolet light spurs the body to produce vitamin D, but people need far less ultraviolet exposure for this than it takes to tan, Bennett added.

    "Anything that causes mutations in your cells increases your risk of cancer," she said.

   (Agencies)