Patent ID: 7888001

Claim:
A method of establishing efficacy of sunscreen, comprising: (a) isolating a nevus; (b) recording levels of stable melanin radicals (SMR) in the nevus; (c) inducing melanin in the nevus to form light-induced melanin radicals (LIR); (d) measuring levels of SMR and intensity of LIR; (e) administering sunscreen to the nevus; (f) repeating steps (b)-(d); and (g) determining an index of protection relative to the nevus according to the equation: MPF = UV ⁢ ⁢ reaching ⁢ ⁢ melanocyte ⁢ ⁢ without ⁢ ⁢ sunscreen UV ⁢ ⁢ reaching ⁢ ⁢ melanocyte ⁢ ⁢ with ⁢ ⁢ sunscreen ⁢ = ( SMR ⁢ + screen LIR ⁢ + UV + screen ) 2 ( SMR ⁢ control LIR ⁢ + UVcontrol ) 2 .