‘For too long, dermatologists have been fixated on skin cancer, meaning we have not properly considered that sunlight has health benefits for us all,’ says Richard Weller, a professor of medical dermatology at Edinburgh University and an honorary consultant dermatologist at NHS Lothian.
What’s more, the new thinking is that sun-safety advice should be tailored according to skin tone — in particular, those with darker skin are thought to benefit the most from sun exposure, leading some experts to suggest they don’t apply as much sunscreen. As Dr Derrick Phillips, a consultant dermatologist in London and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, explains: ‘In the past, our sun safety messaging has combined into one: everyone should cover up and everyone should wear high-factor sunscreen. But it’s far more complex.
‘For instance, the relationship between UV exposure and skin cancer isn’t as strong for people with black or brown skin tones. They can still get skin cancers, but these cases aren’t usually linked to sun exposure and often occur in non-sun-exposed areas. But they will still be told that they need to apply SPF — when in fact that wouldn’t have protected them from these cancers at all.’
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