What People Of Color Need To Know About Skin Cancer

Let’s make one thing clear first: No matter what skin color you have, excessive sun exposure increases your risk of having skin cancer. In fact, you can get this deadly disease even if you never sunburn. However, those with darker skin tend to have more protection from the sun’s harmful rays. The melanin found in skin pigment acts as a broadband light absorbent and can dissipate over 99.9 percent of ultraviolet radiation.

Melanin is the skin’s first line of defense against UV energy. Skin cells deploy melanin they have on hand, which will then divert the harmful rays away from healthy …read more