They're the startling images that show just how vulnerable a person's skin can be to harsh sunlight.

Everyday-beachgoers were recently asked to have their faces and skin filmed using an ultraviolet camera at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach.

The results formed part of a short online video to show Australians just how much sunscreen can act as a shield to protect a person's skin from the sun.

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Beachgoers were recently asked to have their faces and skin filmed using an ultraviolet camera at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach to show how sunscreen can act as a shield against the sun

The film was a collaboration between Nivea Sun and New York based film maker Thomas Leveritt.

'The emotions unleashed when people see themselves in ultraviolet are so interesting - the unselfconscious glee or surprise or fascination is almost like an undiscovered tribe seeing themselves in the mirror for the first time,' Mr Leveritt said.

'I expected Australians to be much more clued up about the sun than Americans or Brits, which they seem to be.

'But even here, being able actually to see the sun damage changed that message from an intellectual one to an emotional one.'

This woman had her face filmed with the UV lens so she could see exactly how sun-affected her skin was

Participants were also able to apply sunscreen and then go under the UV camera lens to see just how much it can shield skin from the sun

This picture shows the two young girls with sunscreen covered faces offering suitable protection from the sun

This young girl doesn't appear to have freckles under natural light (left), but when she went under the UV lens her face was covered in dark spots

The camera used for the short film had a UV lens so participants were able to see exactly how damaged their skin was.

They were also able to apply sunscreen and see just how much it can protect.

'People were shocked to see how much sunscreen protects you,' Nivea scientist Ken Lee said.

'Sunscreen is important for where we are in this part of the world... the UV is much more intense where we are in Australia.

'It was really important to demonstrate how important (sunscreen) is to use, so hopefully (the film) will be a tool to encourage people to use it.'

The film was a collaboration between Nivea Sun and New York based film maker Thomas Leveritt

Nivea scientist Ken Lee said people were shocked to see how much sunscreen could protect

Footage from the film shows the areas of this little boy's face that haven't yet been protected

The aim of the video to show Australians just how much sunscreen can act as a shield from the sun

Despite an extensive sun smart message, three out of every four Australians still believe they don't know as much as they should about being sun safe, a study has shown.

Mr Lee said there were several tips to consider to be more sun safe this summer.

'People don't wear sunscreen if they find it uncomfortable - it can be too thick or greasy,' he said.

'I'd suggest funding one they do find comfortable and get the highest SPF available.

'You should be using about 35ml for your whole body in one application. That's 5ml for the seven body parts, including your face and neck, each limb and front and back.'

Despite an extensive sun smart message, three out of every four Australians still believe they don't know as much as they should about being sun safe

The filmmaker said the emotions unleashed when people see themselves in ultraviolet was interesting



