Melanoma and Minorities: Early Detection, Education Crucial
Gannett News Service. Photo:Sofia Henriques. Imagine having built-in SPF protection for your skin. Minorities-African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and others, don’t have to imagine, the melanin, or pigment, in their skin that gives it a darker tone also offers protection from the sun. How much? One study showed blacks have a natural SPF of 12 or 13 on average. For Caucasians, it’s about 2 or 3, says Dr. Susan Taylor, a Philadelphia doctor of both internal medicine and dermatology and a board member of the American Academy of Dermatology. “African Americans think we don’t get skin cancer because we don’t get sunburns,” Taylor says. “But that’s the problem. We’re not aware of our risk.”