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?
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Yes. UV damages skin.
Melanin is estimated to be, at most, equivalent to SPF ~2… meaning with a high UV index 8-10, if a pale person burns in 5 minutes, a more melaninated skintype burns in double the time, or 10 minutes. Check out the Fitzpatrick scale and “time to burn” in a given UV.
It offers a bit of extra time, but “melanin can also have toxic properties, especially after exposure to UVR” in in vitro studies. Pheomelonin (red/brown) is a bigger culprit than eumelanin (black/brown). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/
Melanin can be a small boost but by itself isn’t really sufficient – the American Academy of Dermatology recommends using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends SPF 15 every day.
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