Hello, my name is Nidge.
And today on Imagine This, it's an absolute scorcher.
Oh, it's very hot.
It's melting my ice cream.
You could cook an egg outside.
On a hot day like today, I reckon we should head to the beach.
But first, what do we need before we can head outside?
You need to be sun smart.
Hot, sunny, shirt, sunscreen.
Oh, that sunscreen smells like holidays.
It smells like coconuts.
It smells like summertime.
We've had a couple of questions about sunscreen.
Hi, my name's called Violet.
I'm five years old and I want to know how sunscreen protects you from the sun.
Hi, I'm Augie and I'm seven years old.
I'd like to know why do we need to use sunscreen?
I'm 19.
I'm three years old.
I want to know how does sunscreen work?
It's pretty interesting stuff.
What do you think?
It makes like a protective layer around you by using cream and special chemicals.
It's like a shield that covers your whole body and keeps all of the sun to stop you from getting sunburned.
We should talk to Professor Pablo Fernandez-Penas.
He's a dermatologist.
That means he knows all about skin and how to keep it healthy.
On a day like today, my best guess is that he's at the beach.
Who wouldn't be?
Come on, let's go find him.
Professor Pablo.
Professor, where are you?
He's not on the sand.
He's not in the water.
I'm over here.
There he is.
Oh, under a nice shady tree.
Oh, that sand's hot.
Hi, Pablo.
Hi, Professor.
Hi, everyone.
Lovely day, isn't it?
It sure is.
How come you're under the tree?
Why aren't you in the sun?
It's because the sun is awesome and powerful and dangerous.
Dangerous?
But can't sunscreen help you stay in it?
Yeah, if you've got sunscreen on, can't you do anything in the sun?
Not quite.
We might need to use our imaginations to see how everything works.
No worries.
Where to first?
Above the clouds, at the top of the stratosphere.
Stratosphere?
That's high up in the sky, but just before we get into space.
Are you ready?
Let's go!
Wow!
That was so high.
I'm floating like a balloon.
Oh, look.
The sun.
The sun.
It could sizzle you up like a sausage.
Yes, that gorgeous thing is actually a fiery hot ball of gas burning in space.
And we wouldn't be here on Earth without it.
It makes you be warm.
It makes it fun to go to the beach and it also supports life.
It gives us light and it makes plants grow.
Yeah, we have lots to thank the sun for.
Absolutely.
The sun radiates heat and the light we can see.
But it also radiates something called UV rays.
What are UV rays?
I can't see any rays.
UV stands for ultraviolet.
It's the color that comes after violet in the rainbow.
But our human eyes can't see it.
Secret colors, but on the rainbow?
The rainbow is only a small section of light that we can see.
There are lots of other kinds of light that are invisible to us.
Let's switch over to solar vision so we can see them.
Solar vision?
Looking at the sun is really bad for your eyes.
You should never look at the sun.
Solar vision will protect us and help us to see the other side of the rainbow.
Wow!
Some of our eyes are bluey-purpley.
That one's really wiggly.
The stupid wiggly one can't get through.
Yeah, it's not going any closer to Earth than the stratosphere.
It's like it's bouncing off something.
That's because our planet has an amazing shield.
Earth has a shield?
Like a superhero!
Yes.
It's called the ozone layer.
Ozone?
I've heard of that.
It's a special gas in the atmosphere that protects us from the sun.
It's like a layer around the Earth for the sun not to come too much.
The ozone layer protects us from some of the sun's ultraviolet rays.
There are three kinds of UB rays.
A, B and C. If all three of them go through the Earth, we'll be toasted, literally.
The ocean layer blocks all the UBC rays.
Most of the UBB rays, but not a lot of the UBA.
The ozone is deflecting the UV rays.
Yeah, but I can see some other rays sneaking through.
Yeah, it's deflecting heaps.
But what happens when some of the UVA and UVB rays reach us down on the ground?
Great question.
Shall we take a ride on one and find out?
Yeah, let's do it.
Okay, let's start with UVA.
I'll ride this one.
We might need to shrink down a bit to fit on an invisible ray, I reckon.
Yes, where we are going, we need to be really, really small.
We've got some rays to ride.
We're going to hitch a ride with some UVA light.
Yeehaw!
Yeehaw!
Woohoo!
We're heading down to the beach.
We're going to land on that person.
Ah, we're going into the skin.
UVA rays go deep into the skin.
Whoa, we're squeezing through.
The rays are moving between the skin cells.
Lucky we've shrunk down to be tiny.
Down we go.
Yes, this part is called the dermis.
It's the middle layer of skin.
Pablo, is this sunburn?
Not down here.
In the dermis, UVA is responsible for long-term damage to your skin.
It takes years, but UVA damage makes your skin wrinkly.
Oh, no.
I don't want to get wrinkly.
An easy way to remember is that UVA leads to aging.
Over time, skin that hasn't been protected will have more wrinkles and sunspots.
My grandma has wrinkles.
Wrinkles are a normal part of getting older, but UVA makes skin age faster and it can contribute to skin cancer and melanoma.
All these cancers are caused by sun damage.
Oh, that doesn't sound good.
So, where's all the sunscreen, Pablo?
Does sunscreen go inside our bodies?
No, no, no, no.
To stop UVA getting down here and damaging ourselves, we need to protect our skin on the surface.
Should we call an elevator to get up to the top layer of the skin?
I want to press the button.
Going up.
It's a nice day, huh?
Pretty good weather.
Welcome to the epidermis, the top layer of the skin.
We are back outside.
Are those buildings?
No, no, they can't be.
We're still really small.
They're hairs.
Whoa, they're as tall as skyscrapers.
What's that?
UVB bracing, come in.
Oh, no, take cover.
Ah!
UVB literally explodes your skin cells.
Quick, hide under this hair.
Look over there.
The skin's turning pink.
Is the ground getting hot?
They're getting sunburned.
Oh, I can feel that from here.
Yes, the surface of the skin is where the UVB rays cause burns.
Ah, B for burns.
Yeah, it really hurts.
I went to the beach and forgot to put sunscreen on my arms.
It hurts, it itches, and...
It makes your skin bright pink.
When you go to sleep, it would really hurt.
Whoa, look, it's happening now.
The skin's turning pink.
That's not from the ultraviolet rays.
That redness is because the body's trying to help.
Huh?
Yes, the uvv is exploding our epidermal cells.
The redness that you see from the sunburn is your body sending red blood cells to heal.
The burn is what we call an immune response, and we can see it up here on the top layer of the skin.
I think they should put on some sunscreen.
I think they're reaching to the sunscreen bottle now.
That's good news.
They really should have done it before they came outside, but Better late than never.
It won't fix the damage that has already been done, but it will stop it getting worse.
Here it comes!
There's so much of it!
Sunscreen tsunami!
Quick, blow up the arm hair!
It smells good though.
It's going away!
It's soaking into the skin.
Let's hop down and see what happens.
There's something a bit sparkly on the skin.
Can you see that?
This is a mineral sunscreen.
It means that the special ingredients add like microscopic mirrors that cover the skin.
Oh, all the rays are being reflected away.
UVA and UVB.
This is how it works.
Cool.
The other kind of sunscreen is called organic sunscreens.
That is very effective too, but instead of reflecting the UV away, the molecules absorb them like a protective sponge, so they don't go into your skin.
Oh, that's amazing.
Anything to stop the sunburn.
Pablo, which sunscreen is best?
Mmm, the best sunscreen is the one that you like and want to wear.
I like to use zinc with all the colours.
I like the Goat Milk sunscreen because it helps me with my eczema.
I like to use the Roll-On sunscreen.
Roll-y, spray-y or squeezy sunscreen.
Any sunscreen.
Pablo, is there any sunscreen I can wear that will stop me from getting burnt like ever?
And stop me from ever getting any wrinkles?
Unfortunately, we don't have anything that good, so we need... That's it.
I'm never going outside ever again.
I'm sure I can live a happy life in my bedroom just reading and you guys can pass me snacks through the window.
Is that okay?
No, you can stay inside all the time needs.
Spending time outdoors is really important for humans.
The sun gives us vitamin d and it makes you feel happy.
So you can get fresh air.
So we don't watch tv all day.
You can play with your friends.
Yes, sunshine provides you with vitamin D.
It helps our bodies stay strong and healthy.
Plus, spending time outdoors make us feel happier too.
But what if I get sunburned?
When you have vaccine, you don't get sunburned.
Yeah, I think that too.
When you have dark skin, you don't get first.
Probably is that right?
Well, that's not quite true.
Come over here.
Let's look a little bit closer at this special cell.
It looks like that skin cell is wearing a helmet.
Exactamente.
That helmet is called melanin.
Melanin.
Melanin!
Melanin gives skin its colour.
We all have melanin, just in different amounts.
People with darker skin have more melanin than people with lighter skin.
Melanin absorbs some of the UV rays.
Wow, they're really handy against the UV rays.
But no one has enough to keep them totally safe.
We all need sunscreen.
No matter our skin color.
But people with darker skin might not need a mask.
Oh, okay.
So I won't live in my bedroom forever.
Glad to hear it.
So you always have to wear sunscreen?
Every single day?
Yes.
Just remember that you can get sunburn even when it's cold.
The UV rays don't make you feel hot.
In fact, you can feel them.
Really?
Yep.
It's just our body's reaction to the sunburn that we can feel.
Come on, let's imagine ourselves back to normal.
Oh, I really would like to go for a swim though.
It's so hot.
Me too.
We should.
What about the sun and the rays?
The UV is highest in the middle of the day.
That's the time to stay in the shade and the day too.
But it's later in the day now, so the UV is not as strong.
Do we still need sunscreen?
Unless you're getting ready for bed, you still need sunscreen.
Slap on some sunscreen, Ninch.
Don't mind if I do.
Don't forget behind the ears.
Yep, and the back of the neck.
More for me, please.
Don't want to miss any spots.
And I need a little bit more for my head because, you know, I don't have any hair.
I think we're all set.
I wonder what this would look like with our solar vision.
Whoa.
Whoa.
You all look like a bunch of disco balls.
The light is bouncing right off you.
Perfect.
That means that you're ready to go out and play.
Thanks, Dr. Pablo.
Want to come for a quick dip?
Between the flags.
Vamos.
Bracia.
So Violet, Roisin and Augie, we need to wear sunscreen because the sun makes ultraviolet light or UV.
It comes after violet in the rainbow.
UVC gets stopped by the ozone lamp.
But UVA and UVB can make their way down to the Earth's surface.
Yeehaw!
When UV light hits skin cells, it can cause sun damage.
UVA for aging.
Getting wrinkles.
And UVB for burns.
Turning red.
You can't feel UV.
You can be cold, but you can be getting sunburn.
So it's important in Australia to wear sunscreen when the UV is high.
Sunscreen protects the skin from UV rays by reflecting them away.
Like a mirror.
Like a disco ball.
Or absorbing them.
Like a sponge.
So the rays don't get inside the cells and cause damage.
Sunburn stings.
Being in sunshine is part of being human.
It keeps us happy and healthy and gives us important vitamins we need.
Wearing sunscreen means we can be safer in the sun.
Thanks sunscreen.
Thanks sunscreen.
Thanks sunscreen.
Thank you for making my skin so shiny.
