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

Being dark skinned gives you a little bit more protection against the sun, but it’s not enough protection by itself by any stretch of the imagination.

Black people do get sunburnt, and black people do also face the same risk of skin damage and skin cancer.

It’s very important that you apply sunscreen. Whilst you might be slightly better protected, you can still get skin cancer from sun damage, and skin cancer is more likely to go undetected in colored people.