Sun Health and Skin Care Tips

We get this question so much that we decided to make a separate blog post about it. 

The disappointing truth is not really! And honestly, when dealing with skin cancer, "not really", is a frightening answer.

While most fabrics do provide some level of protection, their UPF ratings are not as high as you may think. In fact, you can still get sunburned through a cotton T-shirt! To offer proper protection, fabric should have a rating of UPF 50+. 

What does UPF mean?

The UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor which is a numerical rating to clothing.

A UPF protection clothing with rate 50 means that...

Did you know that what you eat can affect how well your body responds to sun damage?

To explain how, let's back track a bit, back to high school physiology. Antioxidants are compounds that have the ability to defend the body against the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals, if you remember are unstable electrons that wreak havoc on your body and cause aging. One huge source of free radicals is UV radiation from the sun. These cause inflammation, oxidative stress in the body, and a breakdown of the extracellular matrix, which leads to aging and skin cancer.

Antioxidants neutralize...

Do I Need Sun Protection If I Have Darker Skin?

Yes! People with darker skin produce more of a pigment called melanin, which does offer some natural protection against UV radiation. However, this protection is minimal, and even with darker skin, you can still get sunburned, and you can develop skin cancer from UV damage.

Does Clothing Block UV Rays?

Not really. Different types of material offer different levels of protection, depending on the type of material, but nothing is completely effective,...

Well + Good interviewed 6 Dermatologists about staying safe while in the sun, and what did they have to say? You guessed it, 6 out of 6 MD's agree that wearing a big hat is key! Here are top 5 other helpful recommendations from those who get paid to talk sun protection:

1. Set an alarm to go off every two hours to remind you to reapply sunscreen during the day. Use one with 'broad spectrum' on the bottle. -Joshua Zeichner, MD
2. "Wear clothing with UPF 50 or more—my favorite is Uvida—and I wear a big hat and sunglasses. Take Heliocare...