You should wear sunscreen even if you have darker skin. Here's why
NEW YORK (AP) — People with darker skin still need to wear sunscreen — for more reasons than one.
Too much
ultraviolet exposure
from the sun can lead to sunburn, dark spots and wrinkles, and increased risk of
skin cancer
.
The melanin in darker skin offers some extra protection from the sun, but dermatologists say that isn't enough on its own.
'Everyone needs sunscreen. But the reasons that one might be reaching for sunscreen may differ depending on your skin tone,' said Dr. Jenna Lester, who founded the Skin of Color Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco.
Do darker-skinned people need sunscreen?
White people are overall more likely to get skin cancer compared to Black and Hispanic people. But Black and Hispanic people are less likely to survive the most dangerous kind of skin cancer called melanoma, according to the American Cancer Society.
Black patients more commonly get melanoma on their hands and feet — places that are more shielded from the sun. Still, sunscreen is an additional protective layer that helps prevent a host of other problems including sunburns, hyperpigmentation after acne, rosacea and dark patches on the face.
Dr. Oyetewa Asempa at Baylor College of Medicine often reminds her darker-skinned patients: 'All of the problems that you're coming to see me for are caused or worsened by the sun.'
How much sunscreen do people of color need?
To stay safe in the sun, it's important to grab sunscreen with a sun protection factor or SPF of at least 30 and reapply every two hours. People headed for the pool or beach should put on sunscreen beforehand, remembering to reapply liberally and after getting out of the water.
Most people don't wear enough sunscreen when they apply, Lester said. Make sure to put two long fingers' worth on the face and a hefty blob for the body.
Look for chemical-based sunscreens to avoid ashy white cast. Two key ingredients in mineral-based products — zinc oxide and titanium oxide — are the culprits for that pesky discoloration on dark skin.
Tinted sunscreens contain pigments that block visible light from the sun, offering additional protection against dark spots. And wearing a hat or sun-protective clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor or UPF grading can provide an extra safety boost.
Whatever the sun protection routine, it's important to keep it up, Lester said. Some UV rays can climb right through car and house windows to cause sun damage even when indoors, making it even more important to take care of the skin while the sun shines.
'It's about trying to make it a daily habit,' she said. 'Consistency over intensity.'
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Video shows dolphin calf birth and first breath at Chicago zoo. Mom's friend helped
CHICAGO (AP) — A bottlenose dolphin at a Chicago zoo gave birth to a calf early Saturday morning with the help of a fellow mom, in a successful birth recorded on video by zoo staff. The dolphin calf was born at Brookfield Zoo Chicago early Saturday morning as a team of veterinarians monitored and cheered on the mom, a 38-year-old bottlenose dolphin named Allie. 'Push, push, push,' one observer can be heard shouting in video released by the zoo Saturday, as Allie swims around the tank, the calf's little tail fins poking out below her own. Then the calf wriggles free and instinctively darts to the surface of the pool for its first breath. Also in the tank was an experienced mother dolphin named Tapeko, 43, who stayed close to Allie through her more than one hour of labor. In the video, she can be seen following the calf as it heads to the surface, and staying with it as it takes that first breath. It is natural for dolphins to look out for each other during a birth, zoo staff said. 'That's very common both in free-ranging settings but also in aquaria,' said Brookfield Zoo Chicago Senior Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Langan in a video statement. 'It provides the mom extra protection and a little bit of extra help to help get the calf to the surface to help it breath in those couple minutes where she's still having really strong contractions.' In a written statement, zoo officials said early signs indicate that the calf is in good health. They estimate it weighs around 35 pounds (16 kilograms) and stretches nearly four feet in length (115-120 centimeters). That is about the weight and length of an adult golden retriever dog. The zoo's Seven Seas exhibit will be closed as the calf bonds with its mother and acclimates with other dolphins in its group. As part of that bonding, the calf has already learned to slipstream, or draft alongside its mother so that it doesn't have to work as hard to move. Veterinarians will monitor progress in nursing, swimming and other milestones particularly closely over the next 30 days. The calf will eventually take a paternity test to see which of the male dolphins at the zoo is its father. Zoo officials say they will name the calf later this summer.
Business Wire
9 hours ago
- Business Wire
Party With a Purpose: Republic Bank hosts fifth annual Juneteenth Event to improve health outcomes in West Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Republic Bank & Trust Company ('Republic' or 'the Bank') hosted the fifth annual Juneteenth Event at the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA. Republic partnered with Kentucky African Americans Against Cancer (KAAAC) and other community organizations to offer free screenings and educational resources to improve the health of West Louisville residents. 'Republic Bank welcomes the opportunity to host this important community event each year in celebration of Juneteenth,' Republic Bank President and CEO Logan Pichel said. 'Republic Bank welcomes the opportunity to host this important community event each year in celebration of Juneteenth,' Republic Bank President and CEO Logan Pichel said. 'We are committed to investing in West Louisville, improving the quality of life and enabling the communities we serve to thrive. Not only are we able to help Louisvillians access life-saving health screenings and resources, but today's event offered everyone an opportunity to celebrate with the community.' According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with the risk for Black men being significantly higher. Moreover, a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) study concluded that Black men have a higher prevalence of prostate cancer because of lower prostate exam screening rates. Additionally, the average dental screening costs about $130, and according to the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, poor oral health is linked to a number of health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the highest prevalence of fatal oral cancers is among Black Americans, and they are three times more likely to have untreated cavities. In addition to free prostate screenings provided by KAAAC, KARE Mobile offered complementary dental screenings for all attendees. Attendees also enjoyed activities, food and vendors operated by Black- and women-owned businesses. 'We're thrilled to celebrate Juneteenth in West Louisville for the fifth year in a row,' Republic Bank Vice President, Inclusion and Diversity Ashley Duncan said. 'We're grateful for our community partners like KAAAC and Kare Mobile that are helping us reach underserved communities and save lives.' About Republic Bank Republic Bancorp, Inc. (the 'Company') is the parent company of Republic Bank & Trust Company (the 'Bank'). The Bank currently has 47 banking centers in communities within five metropolitan statistical areas ('MSAs') across five states: 22 banking centers located within the Louisville MSA in Louisville, Prospect, Shelbyville, and Shepherdsville in Kentucky, and Floyds Knobs, Jeffersonville, and New Albany in Indiana; six banking centers within the Lexington MSA in Georgetown and Lexington in Kentucky; eight banking centers within the Cincinnati MSA in Cincinnati and West Chester in Ohio, and Bellevue, Covington, Crestview Hills, and Florence in Kentucky; seven banking centers within the Tampa MSA in Largo, New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, Seminole, and Tampa in Florida; and four banking centers within the Nashville MSA in Franklin, Murfreesboro, Nashville and Spring Hill, Tennessee. In addition, Republic Bank Finance has one loan production office in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bank offers online banking at The Company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and as of March 31, 2025, had approximately $7.1 billion in total assets. The Company's Class A Common Stock is listed under the symbol 'RBCAA' on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Medical professionals say schools have gotten too political, citing ‘unscientific modes of thinking'
Two medical professionals argued in a new report that "medical school has gotten too political," citing "unscientific modes of thinking." "Medical students are now immersed in the notion that undertaking political advocacy is as important as learning gross anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology," the authors wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Sally Satel, a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and Thomas S. Huddle, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Heersink School of Medicine, cited several instances of political sentiments affecting the medical school industry. They noted that researchers are "promoting unscientific modes of thinking about group-based disparities in health access and status." Ucla Medical School Hit With Class-action Lawsuit For Allegedly Still Using Race-based Admissions Process "The University of Minnesota's Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity decrees 'structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities,' despite the fact that this is at best an arguable thesis, not a fact. (The center was shut down last month.) The Kaiser Family Foundation states that health differentials 'stem from broader social and economic inequities,'" the authors write. Read On The Fox News App Satel and Huddle pushed further by detailing an incident that occurred at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center. The institution not only called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, the authors wrote that staff chanted "intifada, intifada, long live intifada!" which "echoed into patients' rooms." The New York Times reported last summer that the protesters at the University of California, San Francisco, chanting "intifada" consisted of medical students and doctors. Such an incident lays out more deeply the consequences of medical schools prioritizing politics over instruction on professional imperatives, according to the authors. "These doctors were not putting patients first — if anything, they were offending and intimidating patients. They were putting their notion of social justice first," they wrote. The two medical professionals cite other instances where medical schools are steeped in politics, such as endorsing "racial reparations" and instituting "antiracism" training in order to qualify for a medical license in the wake of George Floyd's death. Satel and Huddle offer medical professionals "guidelines" for how to "responsibly" meet patients' needs while leveraging their "professional standing to effect change", including advocating for policies that "directly help patients and are rooted in professional expertise while ensuring that their advocacy does not interfere with their relationships with their colleagues, students, and patients." Medical Schools 'Skirting' Scotus Ruling Rejecting Race In Admissions: Report Satel, a practicing psychiatrist, told Fox News Digital that she is the medical director of a methadone clinic that represents a clinical setting. In response to Fox News Digital's request for comment, Huddle said that his "academic career has been as a clinician teaching how to care for patients while caring for them."Original article source: Medical professionals say schools have gotten too political, citing 'unscientific modes of thinking'
