SINGAPORE – Sunscreen habits tend to revolve around the obvious areas: cheeks, forehead and nose.

Beyond the face, however, many exposed parts of the body are neglected despite accumulating years of ultraviolet (UV) exposure during commutes, outdoor exercise and everyday errands.

Doctors say those missed areas are often where cumulative sun damage surfaces first: as pigmentation, fine lines, rough texture or, in more serious cases, pre-cancers and skin cancers.

That concern has become increasingly relevant in Singapore, where UV levels regularly reach the “very high” and “extreme” range between 11am and 3pm on days with little cloud cover, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA). UV index readings of eight to 10 are classified as “very high”, while readings above 11 fall into the “extreme” category.

The issue is not just Singapore’s year-round equatorial sun, but also how modern lifestyles have increased cumulative UV exposure.

More Singaporeans are spending time outdoors for sports like pickleball, running and padel. And beach holidays, skiing and hiking expose the skin to even stronger UV radiation from altitude, snow and reflective surfaces, says dermatologist Lynn Teo from skin and hair clinic The Dermatology Practice.

Aesthetic doctor Stephanie Ho, founder of specialist skin clinic Stephanie Ho Dermatology, says cumulative UV exposure contributes not only to pigmentation and wrinkles, but also collagen breakdown, chronic inflammation and irreversible DNA damage linked to skin cancers.

“UV radiation is an established human carcinogen,” Ho tells The Straits Times, adding that the damaging effects build gradually over a lifetime.