Skin cancer is colorblind -- no 'free pass'

Skin cancer is colorblind -- no 'free pass'
By Sabriya Rice - CNN Medical Producer

My mom is old school and always told me black people tanned but didn't sunburn. Like an idiot, I believed her. Imagine my shock and painful surprise when I found out she was wrong! I woke up after taking a nap on the upper deck of a Carribbean cruise ship when I was 20ish and found my shoulders, arms, and upper torso covered in tiny blisters. Beneath that my skin was reddish and tender to the touch. We were on an NCL ship and the ships doctor said he had never seen a case of sun poisoning so bad on a black person. Great! I do so love to be a trendsetter . . . NOT.

Pigmentation is no 'free pass'

I had a 2nd bout of sun poisoning about 8 years after the first. I did all the right things, applying a sunblock of 30SPF every hour and after going in the water; but as a lifeguard I guess I was exposed to the sun more than my body could safely handle.

I see a dermatologist somewhat regularly because I'm paranoid. Although they say an SPF 15 is fine, I prefer a sunblock of at least 30-50 SPF that is non-comedogenic. Allegedly non-comedogenic means it won't clog your pores. This usually means buying slightly more expensive brands such as Neutrogena.

And yes, my white friends laugh at me because I am usually the only one in the group with sunblock equal to a sweatshirt in her purse year round.

If I am negligent and find myself in the sun too long and get the beginnings of a sunburn I also keep a bottle of sunburn aftercare, aloe gel with lidocaine in the fridge. It works wonders for dulling that burning sensation.