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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Protecting clothes will protect you from sun

By Amanda Tree

Every year, millions of people head outdoors as soon as the weather warms up. Sports, family gatherings and even work can take us outside and into the potentially harmful rays of the sun. If we don't keep ourselves protected from the sun, we may end up with skin damage, eye damage and even harmful skin cancer.

Sunscreen is a great tool to help prevent sun damage, but it is not enough on its own. When you spend any amount of time in the sun, it is essential to wear protective clothing and sunscreen to minimize the effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays. While most of us are familiar with sunscreens and how to choose the right sunscreen for different types of skin, not many of us know how to pick out UV protective clothing.

When you go out into the sun, it is especially important to protect kids' skin. The number of peeling sunburns experienced during childhood is directly linked to the risk of skin cancer later in life. Sun protective swimwear and sunsuits are available for all ages and can help to prevent some of those childhood burns. Sun hats are another great way to keep kids' tender skin protected from the damaging rays.

Adults have slightly different needs depending on the types of activities that they will be doing in the sun. When fabrics become wet or stretched, they can often lose a great deal of their protection. Look for men's and women's sun protection clothing that is meant for the activities you'll be engaging in. Surfing, swimming and lying on the beach will all require different types of UV protective clothing.

Almost all of this radiation from the sun is not visible to the human naked eye. The fact that the radiation is mostly invisible is likely the reason why the sun can be so harmful. It's hard to convince a person to protect against something that can not be seen. From the several types of ultraviolet rays, the 2 that are responsible for skin damage are UVA and UVB rays. The sun also producess UVC damaging rays, which fortunately can't get through the ozone layer and hence pose no threat to mankind.

Some fabrics have a naturally high ultraviolet protection factor, while others are treated with special chemicals to increase the amount of sun protection they offer. Because of this, some sun protection clothing can lose its effectiveness over time. Replacing your sun protection clothing often ensures that it is effectively blocking harmful rays.

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