Scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have concocted a cream that spurs the skin to tan on its own.

Some people -- typically those with red hair or very fair complexions -- have a genetic defect that prevents them from tanning. When exposed to ultraviolet light, their skin simply burns. Some individuals with this problem have to protect themselves even from normal outdoor daylight to avoid repeated burning, which can increase the risk of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is likely to be diagnosed in 62,000 people in the US this year, the disease is expected to claim 8,000 lives, according to the American Cancer Society.

Researchers genetically engineered laboratory mice to have xeroderma pigmentosum, a skin disorder that would cause their skin to behave similarly to that of people who burn but don't tan.

Application of the experimental cream Forskolin caused the skin of the mice to react as though exposed to rays of ultraviolet light. Their skin tanned in virtually the same way that normal skin tans as a result of natural sun exposure. Forskolin is a chemical derived from the Forskohli plant, a tropical mint plant native to India.

The cream has not yet been tested on humans, and whether it works for people in the same way that it affects genetically engineered mice is still an open question. Any practical applications of the research are likely years away, the researchers cautioned.