eli5: Do people with darker skin have to wear sunscreen?

Question

I heard the UV cause skin cancer, I’m a brown guy and never wear sunscreen, does that mean I have a higher likelihood of getting skin cancer?

In: 159

Answer 1

The answer is yes.

Individuals with more melanin have significantly reduced risk of developing UV-associated melanoma, but it can and does still happen. Individual habits and genetics play a role (and there are genes that increase or decrease skin cancer risk that have nothing to do with melanin).

Furthermore it is well documented that melanoma is diagnosed later on average in darker individuals. Part of this could have to do with disparities in healthcare access, but it also might have to do with the fact that dark cancerous and precancerous lesions are harder to detect in darker people.