Founder of the Black Skin Directory, Dija Ayodele, talks about the importance of protecting darker skin tones from the sun

Melanin in darker skin tones gives a natural SPF of approximately 13. This is not sufficient to protect the skin from the burning and ageing effects of UV rays. Experts are in agreement that all skin tones should wear a minimum SPF30 365 days a year.

UVA and UVB rays damage the skin all year round in varying intensities depending on time of day, the season and where you are in the world. Both of these rays can cause hyperpigmentation, mottled skin, fine lines, premature wrinkles and cancer.

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that when diagnosed in the non-white population, survival rates for skin cancer are lower than people from a Caucasian background. While melanoma [one form of skin cancer] is relatively rare, in 2017 Medicine (Baltimore) published a study showing African-American people were four times more likely to present with advance-stage IV melanoma and 1.5 times more likely to die from melanoma than Caucasians.