Sunlight is warm and beautiful. The colors of every living plant and creature come to life in it. That sun-bleached blond hair and golden tan that I've been so attracted to come from it. Yet, there is a darker side too. Aside from skin cancer, wrinkles, and leathery skin, regular exposure to sunlight raises testosterone. That doesn't sound significant, but it is.

People born with darker skin are less effected by the sun. However, people born with pale skin quickly find that they sunburn easier and develop wrinkles decades before darker skinned individuals. This is most noticeable between blacks and whites. So, what does testosterone do? Black people naturally have high testosterone, whereas white people naturally have high estrogen. Whereas blacks have fairly balanced hormones over their lifespan (with a slow, even decline), whites aren't so lucky. A spike in testosterone during puberty is known to cause the extreme hormone problems associated with caucasian teenagers. Consistent sun exposure causes accelerated puberty. Just look at Aaron Carter. He will look very old very fast. His brother, Nick, is already getting wrinkles. For blacks, a son of 16 and a father of 36 could easily be mistaken as brothers because they tend to change so little between 15 and 40. Haley Barrie looked the same age in the 80s as she does today. Also, high testosterone allows blacks to be good at high endurance sports where others find it hard to compete. With whites, their bodies weren't designed for high testosterone and they get all the negative aspects of testosterone with few of its benefits. It doesn't enhance their muscles and coordination anywhere near as much as it creates hormonal mood swings and rapid aging. Even sun-bleached blond hair doesn't stay that way because naturally blond hair requires large amounts of estrogen and testosterone naturally darkens hair. I used to constantly go outside, wanting to be tanned. Now, I wish that I'd spent less time in the sun. It doesn't just effect the surface of your skin, sunlight penetrates much deeper, and that I always knew.