I didn’t read it being cited here so much as a model to strive for, but rather as strong evidence that there is UV damage to skin even at a sub-cancerous level.

Exactly. I don’t avoid the sun to that extent, but it’s pretty obvious that every strong sun exposure is a little bit more damage each time.

There was an interesting paper that show a woman who applied a sun protecting lotion to her face everyday for the last 30 years of her life.

But she didn’t apply it to her neck. The difference is very stark at 70 years old. The skin on her face was wrinkled but her neck look absolutely worse in terms of age and skin damage.

It avoiding that "damage" worth the daily effort described above? Does that damage consists of anything more then just "her skin is slightly less flat in the old age"?

That's kind of a personal choice, no?

But I think people really underestimate the impact of sun damage, particular if your skin is quite pale.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/sun-damage

Also, you don’t have to go to those extreme lengths to prevent the bulk of photoaging. Just staying out of the sun during peak UV hours and consistently using sunscreen on the areas that get the most exposure (face, neck, hands) will get you very far.

“ constantly limiting activities and having to be careful what you do ... all the time.”

This is considered a virtue among traditional Asian women.