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

Darker skin is protective, but not enough in many places.

Besides having a baseline skin tone, you might notice your skin is darker after sun exposure. This is a sign that your DNA was damaged by that sun exposure (which is why we worry about cancer). Skin produces more melanin when its DNA has been damaged by UV light. If your skin is tanning relative to say, your covered upper thighs, you probably aren’t using enough sunscreen to prevent the damage.