system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: If the color white reflects light (and black absorbs it) why does a lighter skin tone easier get sunburned?

Why does the body produce melanin to absorb light? Shouldn’t it be possible to just reflect the light and thus avoid getting sunburned?
gpt
Dark/black colours "absorb" light turning it into heat. Light/white colours bounce it. That is true.

The sun's visible light doesn't cause that much damage to skin, and heat isn't the concern. Ultraviolet (UV) light damages DNA and that's what really causes a sun-burn. That layer of skin dies and that's why it peels off. That's what you're really protecting yourself against.