Sun Protection

 Sun protection is really all about limiting your exposure to UV rays in order to minimize your chance of sunburn, skin cancer, and eye damage. How you choose to protect yourself will depend on the activity you are doing, you're personal preferences, and UV levels at the time, but here are the basic four options:

1) Staying in the Shade

 Staying in the shade is the best Sun protection you can get and sometimes it's the smartest option when UV levels are extreme. Keep in mind though that whilst shade reduces UV by more than 50%, it does not give total protection. If you are in the shade but close to a reflective surface, such as a swimming pool or white plastic outdoor table, you may still be exposed to UV rays that bounce off these surfaces. As a general rule of thumb, anything that causes a glare in the Sun (e.g. snow, water, white surfaces) has the potential to increase your UV exposure by reflecting and scattering radiation from any direction - including beneath you.

 Parasols, Umbrellas, and Beach Tents These are all about providing shade.  There is still the risk from UV reflected off other surrounding surfaces, like water for example, so keep this in mind if you are beside a pool.

 2) Cover up with UV Protective Clothing & Swimwear

UV protective clothing, hats, and swimwear is a good way to protect your skin and, unlike sun lotions, it doesn't wear off or need to be re-applied. Certain fabrics, colors and styles are better at blocking UV radiation than others. UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is the amount of sun blocked by fabric.

 Loose-fitting designs tends to give better protection against UV.  Long sleeved tops help to protect your arms.  Close-woven fabrics give the best UV protection. Less UV passes through tightly woven or knitted fabrics. Cotton and linen fabrics provide good protection. Heavier weight fabrics usually block more UV radiation than lighter fabrics of the same type. Darker colours give more protection from UV.

 Hats are very important in proper Sun protection as the face, neck and ears are common sites for skin cancer. Hats can provide excellent protection for your face, eyes, nose, lips, ears, neck, and even shoulders if the hat creates enough shade. The type of hat you choose will determine the level  Arm protectors fit snuggly around the arm from the hand up to the bicep area and stop uv damage.

3)  Wearing UV Protective Sunglasses

 Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, they are also an easy way to prevent cataracts, eye cancer, and snow blindness. Some sunglasses offer better UV protection than others depending on the materials used, their shape, and fit. Because snow, water and higher altitude can dramatically increase UV strength and exposure, good quality well fitting UV-protective eye wear are especially essential if you are skiing, hiking, sailing, fishing or doing anything near water, snow or at higher altitudes.

 Large, wrap-around style frames may provide more efficient UV protection because they cover the entire eye-socket and block UV rays from sneaking in from the side or from below when reflected off of surfaces such as water or snow. This is especially important when doing activities around or on water or snow because UV is reflected from all directions off of the these surfaces.

Always check the sunglasses label to make sure they protect against UV-A and UV-B. The closer to 100% protection a pair of sunglasses provide, the safer your eyes will be from damage.

4) Using Broad Spectrum Sunscreen

 If you plan to be in the Sun then a good quality sunscreen should give you the protection you need. Sunscreen products come in all different formulations, but in terms of UV protection all you need to know is how well a product will block UVA AND UVB radiation. When a product blocks both UVA and UVB it is referred to as having 'broad spectrum' protection. Products marked only with an SPF value are only telling you how much UVB they block, and may leave you fully at risk of UVA exposure.