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By BRIDGE8 under license from Mangorolla CIC 2024
Hi cnixon,
I think the answer to this question is different for each person. That’s because cancer forms partly because of your own individual DNA, and how it reacts to the environment and partly because of the environment itself.
When the sun shines onto your skin, the rays penetrate into the skin cells and into the DNA molecule itself. This is a form of radiation and causes little mistakes and breaks to be made in the DNA. If the cell can not repair these breaks and mistakes, then the cell may start to divide out of control and that’s when you get skin cancer.
In terms of time in the sun, what we DO know is that it is REPEATED exposure to the sun that increases your risk of cancer, so people that don’t wear sunscreen and who get burnt several times per year have a much higher chance of getting skin cancer. BUT… There are horror stories of people developing skin cancer on parts of their body that have NEVER seen the sun – so obviously it is complex and that’s why doctors recommend you get your skin checked regularly for any unusual changes.
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