6/29/2026 at 9:25:02 AM
The article seems to be a meta analysis of a bunch of conflicting research to support a narrative that we don’t really know shit.And fair, we don’t.
But a couple of things we do know that weren’t covered - egregiously so - is that aging is UV damage. Sometimes called photoaging, wrinkles, sun spots, discoloration, fine lines, grey hair, all of that shit that you associate with someone visibly looking old is sun damage.
So the picture that the article paints of some pasty nerds in offices shielding themselves from all UV and thus: they might as well be smoking… it doesn’t even touch on why people might be doing this.
Both kurgezadt and veritasium did some really great videos on photoaging and it’s worth checking out if this is new information to you.
by Zenbit_UX
6/29/2026 at 9:26:55 AM
I've not heard that grey hair is sun damage.Do you have any sources for that?
by JR1427
6/29/2026 at 11:53:19 AM
There’s plenty, though please evaluate the veracity of their claims for yourself, I’m not a scientist nor do I excel at parsing scientific articles. Here’s one I’ve come across after a few minutes which references many others https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S10111...by Zenbit_UX
6/29/2026 at 1:05:37 PM
After a quick skim, that article seems to be talking about something other than typical age-related greying. More photobleaching.by JR1427
6/29/2026 at 1:22:10 PM
From the conclusions:> Sun radiation affects hair properties as color, luster, mechanical resistance, the content of proteins and others.
TLDR Yes it impacts color. Further reading can be found in the 75 studies that can be found in the references section.
by Zenbit_UX
6/29/2026 at 1:46:23 PM
If hair greying was mostly caused by UV damage, I would expect that the pattern of greying would be even, and begin on the top of the head.In contrast (based on my own unscientific observations!) greying typically begins in small areas, and often on the temples - not what I'd expect if caused by UV damage.
by JR1427
6/29/2026 at 1:43:59 PM
When most people think of age-related hair greying (which you referenced in your original post), they think of the phenomenon whereby hair follicles stop producing pigments that colour hair.This is distinct from UV bleaching of the pigments in the hair.
by JR1427