Sun damage — including sunburn — happens no matter what color the skin. Darkly pigmented skin has the same number of cells that give off pigment as light-colored skin.

Darker skin may not show these visible signs of sun damage as readily. But it’s still happening. “Melanin offers some natural protection. But no skin is 100% effective at preventing sunlight from coming through,” says dermatologist Dr. Darren Guffey.

When sunlight penetrates cells, UV radiation damages the cell’s DNA, which compromises the body’s basic blueprint for growing new cells and structures. As a result, you get an overgrowth of atypical cells that the body is less equipped to recognize and destroy. This is basically cancer, Guffey explains: The rapid, unchecked growth of atypical cells.

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