Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. To decrease the risk of sunburns and sun damage, its important to take sun protection measures including:
- limit time in the sun, especially from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- wear UPF 50+ rated clothing including long-sleeved shirts, dresses, and pants
- seek shade from buildings and trees, or make use of a parasol or wide-brim hat
- use a broad spectrum mineral sunscreen rated SPF 50+
UVA rays cause tanning while UVB rays are responsible for causing sunburns. It is a common misconception that only sunburns are reason for concern, when the tanning caused by UVA rays is also a visible sign of sun damage and increases the risk for skin cancer.
Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a measure of how much UV radiation (both UVB and UVA) can penetrate through a particular fabric to reach your skin. UPF 50 fabric is able to block 98 percent of the sun’s rays and allows two percent (1/50th) to penetrate, thus significantly reducing your exposure risk. Unlike sunscreen the sun protection in UPF fabric will never be washed away and doesn’t need to be reapplied every 2 hours.
Shop our favorite UPF 50+ hats – both in terms of style and function.
