Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
Certain derivatives of coumarin called psoralens have the effect of sensitizing you to the sun. This can be useful for treating certain skin conditions with psoralen plus a little UV lights. It can also get you really, really tan. The downside of psoralen+UV is that it's riskier skin cancer-wise than UV alone.
In the go-go 50's, however, a man named John Howard Griffin was cavalier enough to use a psoralen to get really, really tan. Tan enough that he could pass for black and write a book about his experiences in the deep south called Black Like Me. The book is one of the seminal works about American race relations, and it couldn't have happened without psoralens!
Comments
Yeah, lime peel oil contains psoralen(s). Got some on my skin once from cooking, and apparently, went into the sun. There was a very tan, irregular spot on the back of my hand. I got some fancy bleaching cream from my doc to clear it up.
read about it at my blog! http://5by5b.blogspot.com
Posted by: Vince Noir | February 8, 2008 8:15 PM
Brush against giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, and add sunlight. Deep skin ulcerations and permanent scarring can result.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Hogweed
http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/outdoors/hogweed/giant_hogweed.htm
On a smaller less exciting scale, celery handler's disease,
http://telemedicine.org/botanica/bot5.htm
Apium graveolens, fresh celery, contains 10-100mg/g wet weight of psoralens in healthy plants. Damn!
Posted by: Uncle Al | February 8, 2008 8:50 PM
According to Wikipedia, Griffin used oxsoralen to change his skin color, not psoralen. They have slightly different structures.
Posted by: Matt | February 9, 2008 12:00 AM
It's a bit confusing. But "Oxsoralen" seems to be the name of the product, the name the drug is sold as, and what Griffin used. The Wikipedia article Matt is linking to redirects to "Methoxsalen", which looks very similar to what's at the top here.
I guess that methoxsalen is a psoralen? (And why psoralen? They're itchy?)
Posted by: magetoo | April 19, 2008 8:14 AM