Protect Your Skin From UV

You don’t have to give up your outdoor activities or avoid the sun completely to limit your exposure to UV. Following these precautions will help you to be sun safe:

Cover up. Choose shirts and pants to protect as much skin as possible.
Use sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
Wear a hat. Choose a hat that shades the face, neck, and ears.
Wear sunglasses. Protect your eyes with sunglasses that block UV rays.
Limit sun exposure. Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the UV rays are strongest.

Cover Up
Wear clothing to protect as much skin as possible.

Long–sleeved shirts, long pants, or long skirts are the most protective.
Dark colors provide more protection than light colors by preventing more UV rays from reaching your skin.
A tightly woven fabric provides greater protection than loosely woven clothing. If you can see light through a fabric, UV rays can get through, too.
Dry fabric is generally more protective than wet fabric.
The ideal sun–protective fabrics are lightweight, comfortable, and protect against exposure even when wet. Currently, a few companies in the U.S. manufacture clothing that is especially sun–protective.

The American Society for Testing and Materials has recently developed standards for manufacture and labeling of sun protective products. The new units for UV protection are called UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor). UPF measures the ability of the fabric to block UV from passing through it and reaching the skin. Fabrics will be classified in one of three categories

Good UV Protection (for UPF 15–24),
Very Good UV protection (for UPF 25–39), or
Excellent UV Protection (for UPF 40–50). Currently these standards are voluntary.
Swimsuits for children made from sun protective fabric and designed to cover the child from neck to knees are popular in Australia and are available in some areas of the US. Consumers can suggest more retailers carry these products.

Use Sunscreen
Experts recommend sunscreen products with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15. The number of the SPF represents the level of sunburn protection provided by the sunscreen. An SPF 4 blocks out 75 percent of the sun’s burning UV rays, an SPF 15 blocks out 93 percent, and an SPF 30 blocks out 97 percent of the burning UV rays.

It is important to remember that sunscreen does not provide total protection. Reflective surfaces like water, snow, and sand can actually cause exposure to more UV rays. For high–glare situations, a higher SPF sunscreen or zinc oxide may be used on your nose and lips.

Read the label before you buy.
Sunscreen products labeled "broad–spectrum" protect against UVA and UVB radiation.

Some sunscreen products can irritate some people's skin. Many products claim to be "hypoallergenic" or "dermatologist tested," but the only way to know for sure whether a product will irritate your skin is to apply a small amount to your skin for three days. If your skin does not turn red or become tender and itchy, the product should be okay for you.

Apply the sunscreen properly.
For maximum effect, generously apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before going outside. About one ounce of sunscreen should be used to cover the arms, legs, neck and face of the average adult. Less is needed for a child. For best results, most sunscreens need to be reapplied about every 2 hours.

If swimming or perspiring, don't forget to reapply sunscreen to maintain protection. Remember that sunscreen usually rubs off when you towel yourself dry.

Products labeled "waterproof" provide protection for at least 80 minutes even when swimming or sweating. Products that are "water resistant" may provide protection for only 40 minutes. Most sunscreen products expire within 2 to 3 years, but you should check the expiration date on the container for the date it becomes ineffective.

Use lipbalm with an SPF 15 or higher.

Do not use sunscreens on babies younger than 6 months. Instead, use hats, clothing, and shading to protect small babies from the sun.

Wear a Hat
A hat with at least a three– to four–inch brim all around is ideal because it protects areas often exposed to the sun, such as the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp. A shade cap, which looks like a baseball cap with about 7 inches of material draping down the sides and back, is also good. Shade caps are often sold in sports and outdoor clothing and supply stores.

A baseball cap provides some protection for the front and top of the head but not the back of the neck or the ears, where skin cancers commonly develop. Be sure to use sunscreen on those areas.

Wear Sunglasses
Research has shown that long hours in the sun without adequate eye protection increase the chances of developing eye disease. UV–absorbent sunglasses can help protect your eyes from sun damage.

The ideal sunglasses do not have to be expensive, but they should block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation. Ideally, all types of eyewear, including prescription glasses, contact lenses, and intraocular lens implants used in cataract surgery, should absorb the entire UV spectrum. When purchasing eyewear be sure to ask for a lens that will protect your eye from UV light. Read the label and look for the amount of UV protection provided.

Some labels may say, "UV absorption up to 400 nm" which is the same as 100 percent UV absorption. Also, labels that say "special purpose" or "Meets ANSI UV Requirements" mean the glasses block at least 99 percent of UV rays. Those labeled "cosmetic" block about 70 percent of the UV rays. If there is no label, don't buy the sunglasses. (The American National Standards Institute ANSI sets standards for sunglasses' UVA/UVB protection. They require that sunglasses block a minimum of 50 percent of UVA and 70 percent of UVB.)

And remember:

Darker glasses are not necessarily better because UV protection comes from an invisible chemical applied to the lenses, not from the color or darkness of the lenses.
Look for an ANSI label.
Large–framed wraparound sunglasses protect your eyes from all angles.
Children need smaller versions of real, protective adult sunglasses – not toy sunglasses.


Limit Sun Exposure
Ultraviolet rays are most intense during midday – usually between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is high in the sky.

The intensity of the sun's rays is related to several factors, including:

Closeness to the equator
Altitude
Season of the year
Time of day
Cloud cover
The ozone "hole"
If you are unsure about the sun's strength, take the shadow test: if your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are very intense. Plan activities out of the sun during these times. If you must be outdoors, protect your skin.

UV radiation also can pass through clouds and water, so don't assume you're safe from UV radiation if it’s overcast or if you're in the water and feeling cool. Also, be especially careful on the beach and in the snow because sand, water, and snow reflect sunlight and increase the amount of UV radiation you receive.