Light skinned women could be more susceptible to skin cancer

Ladies!  Wearing sunblock is important to prevent skin cancer, but did you know skin pigmentation can put you at risk as well?
 
 
 
By Freddie Mooche
(AXcess News) Washington - A new study in Nature indicates that fair skinned women are more susceptible to skin cancer, though most women, especially redheads, alreadymay know this.  But the study also revealed that...
A differen form of pigment in the skin, called pheomelanin, is less effective at protecting the skin from UV damage than the darker form, eumelanin.
The researchers looked at how melanomas develop in mouse models of olive-skinned, ginger and albino coloring. The last group had the same genetic background as the dark-skinned mice but lacked the enzyme needed to synthesize melanin.
The scientists had planned on exposing the mice to UV rays, but found that more than half had developed skin cancer without exposure.
The researchers found that the skin pigments themselves were suspect of being prone to skin cancer as a result of using coloring to identify it.  Now this doesn't suggest that hair coloring in and of itself will cause skin cancer, but it's an important wakeup call.