Today I was talking to a co-worker (who's White) about this blog and told him about the the poll. When he heard the second question, he gave me a puzzled look. He, like many people of all races, thought Black people didn't need suntan lotion. He thought Black people didn't get sunburned. I had to school him. Now, I must admit that I used to think the same thing. Growing up we didn't use sun tan lotion, but instead baby oil or cocoa butter. We weren't worried about sunburn. We were worried about ash. Not until I learned about pigmentation did I understand that Black people have a higher risk of getting skin cancer than any other race.
Melanin, the pigment that causes color, is in every one ( except for albino's). When White people don't use suntan lotion, their skin gets burned and turns red. The same thing happens to Black people. Instead of turning red, we get darker. We need just as much sun tan lotion as White people, if not more. Now there's nothing wrong , at least for me, with getting darker. It's just that it's not healthy. By using cocoa butter/baby oil/Vaseline, you're frying your skin, just like you fry chicken.
So put that cocoa butter down, pick up some sun tan lotion, and listen to this commentary on Skin Cancer Myths and the African-American Community.
Melanin, the pigment that causes color, is in every one ( except for albino's). When White people don't use suntan lotion, their skin gets burned and turns red. The same thing happens to Black people. Instead of turning red, we get darker. We need just as much sun tan lotion as White people, if not more. Now there's nothing wrong , at least for me, with getting darker. It's just that it's not healthy. By using cocoa butter/baby oil/Vaseline, you're frying your skin, just like you fry chicken.
So put that cocoa butter down, pick up some sun tan lotion, and listen to this commentary on Skin Cancer Myths and the African-American Community.
