I'm in the southern US and my grandparents came from Ireland. I've never been a beech-goer, or tried to get a tan (not that it would really work anyway). When I was a kid, on the handful of times our family went to a beach for day, my brothers and I would end up with massive water blisters and we would have competitions to see who could pull the longest continuous strip of skin. I'm 61 now and my arms and back neck look like it -- loss of elasticity, spotted, any cuts on my arms produce scabs that take weeks to heal.
But if you look at the skin on my upper arms, shoulders, or torso, which are nearly always covered by a shirt, you wouldn't be able to tell if I was 20 or 60. That skin is soft, pliable, and heals more quickly.
I've had five basal cell carcinoma spots sliced off the back or nape of my neck so far. Use sunscreen.