Archive for the ‘Articles’ category

Why Sun Protective Hats and Clothing Are Important to Wear

September 20th, 2011

You may ask yourself why sun protective hats and clothing are so important to wear with good reason! Skin cancer rates are reaching epidemic levels and the American Cancer Foundation is estimating 20% or 1 in 5 American will contract skin cancer in our lifetime. Those numbers are frightening when you consider how much sun tanning and sun worshiping still goes on each day.

The most important thing about exposing yourself to the sun is to wear the best sun protective hats and UPF protected clothing on the market which will safeguard your skin from skin cancer and the visible signs of aging such as – brown sports, wrinkles, crows feet, hyper-pigmentation and saggy skin. The sun has two important types of radiation to be aware of; the first is UVA which stand for the “aging rays.” These rays are present 365 days a year rain or shine and cause damage to the dermis of your skin. The second type of UV radiation is UVB rays which are known as the “burning rays. ” these are strongest in the summer and between 10am – 2pm and effect the epidermis of your skin. Most sunscreens do not protect you from the UVA radiation, which is extremely dangerous and causes cancer. Even broad-spectrum sunscreen cannot protect you from all the UV radiation you are exposed to daily! The only way to protect yourself and your family is to wear sun protection products each day including your wide brim sun hat and sun protection clothing.

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Sun Protective Clothing – Your First Line of Defense Against Sun Damage to Your Skin

September 18th, 2011

As sun worshiping baby boomers who grew up in Florida, we inflicted many years of unprotected sun exposure to our skin. As a result we are on first name basis with our Dermatologist! Sometimes I joke that my husband pays his doctor’s mortgage payment with all of his visits. Last year the Doctor told us, “You just can’t afford any more sun damage to your skin!”

Maybe you’ve heard similar scary words from your Doctor. Are you looking for a way to continue enjoying the outdoors without further damage to your skin? Is there an alternative to the messy, greasy sunscreen lotions that rub off, sweat off, and attract every bug in site? You bet there is! Sun protective clothing can literally become your life saver!

So just what is Sun Protective Clothing? Researchers have developed new fabrics with embedded compounds that give the clothing an inherent protective quality against the sun. These high tech fabrics can give clothes a SPF of anywhere from a low of 30 up to a high of SPF 100. There is now even a universal guide for labeling sun protective fabric — the UPF value. On many clothes you will see a UPF value; this is the total Ultraviolet Protection Factor. This UPF value makes it easier for the consumer to compare the protective ability of one article of clothing to another. UPF, SPF it gets somewhat confusing. Just know that SPF is similar to the value you would see on a sun screen product, whereas UPF includes the fabric’s ability to block out both the Ultraviolet Type A and B rays.

» Read more: Sun Protective Clothing – Your First Line of Defense Against Sun Damage to Your Skin