if our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones, how can a bad sunburn turn into cancer YEARS down the line?

Question

if our skin cells are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones, how can a bad sunburn turn into cancer YEARS down the line?

In: 3306

Answer 1

Think of skin like you think of hair. Your hair is “constantly being replaced” by new hair, but the follicles at the base of the hair are not constantly being replaced. Damage your hair, grow new hair. Damage the follicles, problems happen. The sun damage happens to skin cells that are not the ones that are replaced.