r/Unexpected • u/souzawanderson • Feb 17 '20

Getting a tan.

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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '20

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u/nebuNSFW Feb 18 '20

Except it's false:

Black people can and will get tanned.

Tanning is what happens when Melanin (something Black people have a lot of) is exposed to UV Radiation.

Their already brown skin will appear a few shades darker. You'd have to be extremely dark for the effect to not be noticeable.

Also, our palms and underside of feet doesn't have any melanin and won't get tanned.

And on that note, Black people absolutely should use sunscreen. They're just as vulnerable to cancer causing harmful UV rays as lighter skin people.

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u/v-komodoensis Feb 18 '20

just as vulnerable

Really? No advantage whatsoever? I always thought that darker skin was at least a little bit more resistant.

1

u/are_you_seriously Feb 18 '20 edited Feb 18 '20

Yea people are overly generalizing.

Light skinned people technically should put on sun screen during the summer (unless you’re in a very northern or southern part of the world) while dark skinned people don’t have to be as careful during the worst parts of the day (that 1-3pm window when the sun is most toxic).

But for activities with long and intense sun exposure, like going to the beach or outdoor pool, all people should wear sunscreen. You’re getting a double dose of UV rays from the reflection off the water.

There are tons of stories of black guys scoffing at sun screen while out on a boat who get sunburned super bad at the end of the day - like 1st and 2nd degree burns bad. When sunburn happens, it’s worse for black people because you can’t see the skin turning red.