Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘I thought being black meant I couldn’t get skin cancer’

‘I thought being black meant I couldn’t get skin cancer’

When Isser Nener was in her late 20s, she was diagnosed with skin cancer.

"I found a little mole on the back of my leg. I was on holiday with a friend and they were like: 'You have to have that mole checked'," she says.

"So I went to the doctor's and they removed it straight away. And a week later they said it was skin cancer. Obviously I was quite shocked and upset."

She was surprised because she had believed a long-perpetuated myth that high levels of melanin in black skin meant it could not be damaged by the sun.

"I actually thought that when you've got black skin or dark skin, you can never get [skin cancer] and you don't need to wear sunscreen because you feel like you're a bit protected. But obviously, now I know that skin is skin and you can still get it," says Isser.

Five years later, the cancer came back. "Luckily, again, I caught it early, I didn't have to have any chemo. They just had to remove one of my lymph nodes." Now, 10 years later, she's still clear of the cancer.

Isser had never used sunscreen when she was growing up and is now working with Cancer Research UK to warn others not to make the same mistake.

The organisation reports that melanoma skin cancers are less common in Asian and black people than in white people.

But Dr Ophelia Dadzie, a consultant dermatologist, says that when they do occur in black people they tend to be "much more aggressive and tend to be detected at a later stage".

Dr Dadzie points to reggae star Bob Marley, who discovered a patch of pigmented skin that turned out to be malignant melanoma, which he later died from.

"In terms of looking at your skin, you should look at your whole skin," she says.

"But, particularly for individuals who have darker skin, people should not forget to look at the soles, the hands, the palms and the nails."

She describes patients who thought that they had warts on the soles of their feet, but these turned out to be skin cancer.

Unpicking the myth about black skin being immune to the sun's rays, Dr Dadzie says the misconception probably grew out of the fact that black people have higher amounts of melanin than people with other skin tones.

"Within the community, it's sort of that whole idea of 'black don't crack' or people saying: 'I'm from the hot country, I'm OK in the sun,' that has become embedded within the community, because we have melanin," Dr Dadzie adds.

Melanin is the pigment that makes skin darker but it has other properties too - it is an "inherent natural sun protection", she says. "It sits in the cells of the skin and protects from UV damage and UV-induced changes to the DNA etc.

"The melanin will actually protect from that… but it's not 100% protection from the sun."

And she warns that it's not just skin cancer that people need to think about.

"For dark skin, a lot of the conditions I see are elated hyperpigmentation. Now, what people don't realise is that sun UV drives the hyperpigmentation."

Hyperpigmentation is where darker patches of skin develop and can be caused by excess melanin production.


So what do you do when you're in the sun? Dr Dadzie's advice is: "The British Association of Dermatologists has a three-pronged protection plan - shade, clothing, and sunscreen.

"So you can protect your skin with clothing, including a hat. You make use of sunglasses as well, with UV protection. Make use of shade between 11am and 3pm when the sun's UV rays are strongest.

"Then when you choose sunscreen, you want to use one with a minimum SPF of 30 and good UV protection, but the higher SPF, the better.

"It's also helpful to have products within it, which give you protection from visible light, because visible light can also cause hyperpigmentation.

"Make sure the sunscreen is water resistant and that you're reapplying that SPF every two hours as well, that is very important."


Tips for staying safe in the sun


*  Cover up

*  Wear sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 but the higher the better

*  Use sunscreen that is broad spectrum, UVA and UVB, and is water resistant

*  Reapply sunscreen every two hours

*  Take shelter in the shade regularly

*  If you notice anything worrying contact your doctor

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×