UV Rays and Skin Cancer

I am a person who is always in the sun for my 17 years of living, and have just recently started worrying about skin cancer. I read many articles about how UltraViolet Rays are damaging to skin and to wear protection, but does your original skin complexion make a difference as to how to you are affected by UV rays. For example is it more damaging to paler complexions or darker complexions??

Also, if your skin is used to sun from years of exposure can it become immune from UV damage?? I am curious because Neandrathals and early humans wore very little clothing and spent all day, everyday outdoors in the sun and seemed to not be as affected by it as we are today. I was wondering if this is because of our recent generation and how much time we spend cooped up indoors on our computers

Originally posted by ingeniouslycorrupt
I am a person who is always in the sun for my 17 years of living, and have just recently started worrying about skin cancer. I read many articles about how UltraViolet Rays are damaging to skin and to wear protection, but does your original skin complexion make a difference as to how to you are affected by UV rays. For example is it more damaging to paler complexions or darker complexions??

The skin cancer thing is one problem but for most people the bigger issue with sun exposure is that it prematurely ages your skin. If you want to look like a 50 year old when you are 35 then go out and get a nice dark tan every summer. Yes, the darker the darker your skin is naturally, the less susceptible to damage you are.

White:
29.7 per 100,000 men
18.9 per 100,000 women
Black:
2.3 per 100,000 men
1.9 per 100,000 women

Skin Cancer Rates via National Cancer Institute

Originally posted by ingeniouslycorrupt
Also, if your skin is used to sun from years of exposure can it become immune from UV damage?? I am curious because Neanderthals and early humans wore very little clothing and spent all day, everyday outdoors in the sun and seemed to not be as affected by it as we are today.

Skin can not ever be completely immune to UV damage.

About Neanderthals, they lived in northern climates. More north = less UV. They also lived during the last ice-age so I question why anyone would think they wore less clothing than ourselves. I don't think anyone did a survey of ancient Neanderthals' skin cancer rates so the whole idea that they had less skin cancer than we do today is simply an unfounded assumption on your part.

Jon

Also remember that Neanderthals only lived to the age of ~25 i believe...

UV radiation are energy carriors, and therefore DNA in skincells (Or any other cells for that matter) are suspectible to mutate.

So the skin color does make a difference thank you very much for that source thats what i was looking for.