Extreme UV Levels: How Damaging Is It, Really? | Talking Point | Full Episode

In March, Singapore hit extreme UV levels and authorities advised the public to take extra protection measures against UV rays.

UV rays can not only cause premature aging but it can also impact your scalp, potentially leading to skin cancer. Many people unknowingly expose themselves to high UV levels, especially when they are indoors and do not wear sun protection. How dangerous are extreme UV rays? Talking Point investigates the dangers of UV rays and finds out whether those UV products really live up to their claims.

0:00 Introduction
0:42 Do you wear sunscreen?
3:50 How UV index is measured
6:48 Skin analysis: how damaging are UV rays?
10:44 Do UV rays damage the scalp?
12:57 Are we exposed to UV rays indoors?
15:12 How much UV radiation is in a car?
17:50 UV wearables: are they effective?

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Talking Point investigates a current issue or event, offering different perspectives to local stories and revealing how it all affects you.
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[joliechow]

I wonder if the SG military teaches our boys to wear sunscreen every day? They must be exposed to harmful UV radiation everyday (face, body and esp the head!). If the men get good education on sun protection during NS, I believe we will see a lot more men wearing sun screen in Singapore for a lifetime.

[jamie]

Need to clarify some things here because some content is quite misleading.

Firstly, the UV camera does not always identify who is wearing sunscreen or not. Nor does it measure UV A/B protection effectiveness (i.e SPF). It only shows you whether your skin or the product on your skin such as sunscreen has any interaction with the UV rays. This means in effect, it is ONLY helpful to show you whether you missed any spots with your sunscreen or other UV-protection method.

You will realise this if you pay attention to the very very melanated skin of the darker persons in the video, which were almost the same as DIana's sunscreen. They did not wear sunscreen and most of the time, highly melanated people (dark skinned people) will show up in UV cameras like that.

How UV cameras like the ones in the video work is that photons of UVA are sent out from the camera, and then it measures how well the substance or item absorbs the light, and then sends it back as visible light (called fluorescence). That's why skin with the product that absorbs UV rays looks dark, the same way dark skin will also look the same (and the difference can be seen versus someone lighter skinned without sunscreen). Human skin tends to naturally reflect light and scatters it around, so skin without some protective barrier like sunscreen won't look very dark.

Anyway it doesn't mean dark skinned (known as melanated) people don't need sunscreen. EVERYONE needs sunscreen, or SOME form of UV protection. It doesn't have to be something you specifically slather on your face -- sometimes there are UV-blocking compounds in some moisturisers, face creams, very commonly in liquid, cream or powder foundations (although powder UV is questionable).


You can also opt to directly shield your entire exposed skin by wearing clothes that absorb and protect your skin from UV rays (they are made specially for that, or contain compounds that can achieve that), this is common in swimwear, or, you can use an umbrella, hat, poncho, etc, such as the one shown in the video.

But black or darker clothing absorbs heat (light) a lot and can make you feel much warmer. So if you're looking for UV-reflecting garments, get lighter colours such as white or silver as they reflect heat AWAY from you better. It's something the video did not tell you, but you should also be aware of this because there's no point getting 100% UV blocking but then you feel insanely warm and sweaty inside, especially in humid Singapore.

Also, just because the sky is overcast doesn't mean you don't get exposed to UV rays. It's still there, and as long as you hit sunlight, you will get UV exposure. Not all UV exposure is bad - we need SOME of it every day, but from at least 5 minutes (without sunscreen) and no longer than 15 minutes (can be 30 minutes for dark skinned people).

References:

[fion]

The UV camera does not show the effectiveness of your sunscreen, rather it only shows if you have sufficient coverage or perhaps missed a spot

[zraiderz]

Actually, you forgot about one more potential damage UV rays can cause: Cataracts in the eye

[TheMessyDeskxyz]

Actually… Just normal clothing, especially a slightly thicker cloth, will block a good amount of UV rays. No need to purposely buy SPF clothing… Why didn’t they measure that?

[kstash]

Feel a bit irresponsible to talk about UV but exclude the other side of the coin -- it is vital for Vitamin D-generation, which the deficiency has been linked to so many health issues. I think the conundrum is how to get a safe or balanced intake of UV instead blocking it entirely. That would be a better approach of the topic in my opinion.

[AngelynChew]

The ads I got during YT ad break are sunscreen ads 😂

[alimichalkan]

She should wear them on exposed areas like her neck décolletage and her hands and not just on the face.

[AngelynChew]

Does the UV light we used when doing gel manicure cause skin damage as well? Does that mean we have to put sunscreen on our fingers before doing gel manicure?

[encentuate]

How did our grandparents or great grandparents survive back then without sunscreen?

[Chinix]

Woah I actively wear sunscreen but not cap. I did not know the head can get sunburn despite having hair. Will wear my cap more often from now one

[LittleStrawbirdy]

There should also be an episode of Vitamin D deficiency. The reason why kids nowadays are getting myopia younger and younger is actually due to Vitamin D deficiency and not because of too much screens/computers. And you may think, "Just take Vitamin D supplements!" But scientific research shows us that supplementation affects us (even plants!!) differently compared to real sunlight, which is heaps better for the processes within our body. Of course, too much sunlight poses risks too. So everything should be in moderation. I have been super fearful of sun since I was like 20 years old, always put on sunblock even indoors, and recently found out I am Vitamin D deficient.

[MayMay-wrpn]

Good to know that apparels can block off UV effectively. But will they lost the effect after a few washes?

[alhkcblack]

I think if you spend the majority of the time indoors and only outside for not much time you do not need sunscreen. People actually need sunlight on the skin to remain healthy. Can look up new studies on how getting enough sun is important for immunity.

[lucretius]

Wonder if they will do one on PFAS as major countries have all started to regulate it in food and water.

[LordBagdanoff]

Putting sunscreen will actually make your skin not age so fast. If you want to look younger in older age.

[daeriousjames]

Topic miss out... does the "UV protection clothes" get "washed out" after years of using like washing them ?

[celestialstar]

To test for skin cancer we need skin biopsy which is cut a portion of our skin to send to lab for test.

[cheyennetan]

Now i just want to know where to get the thick sunscreen patch 😂

[DanielHYNg]

An impressive video. I didn't know darker clothing protects the skin better.