Fall is here, days are short, and the Sun is lower in the sky. You may think the Sun is not strong and won't burn. WRONG, we still need to protect ourselves from the harsh UV Rays; even if the Sun is not shining, we are subject to sunburns. Wearing preventive sun clothing and quality sunscreen will help prevent sun damage to your skin and will help reduce the signs of aging.
Golf and Tennis instructors working outdoors in sunny weather have first-hand experience with the harmful results of exposure to UV rays during the fall months. Although we don't realize it, the fall clouds only block 20% of the Sun's harmful UV rays, leaving you with 80% of harmful UV rays. In addition, the fact that cool weather can dry the skin increases your vulnerability. Melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, seems to occur more often when the skin is irritated and receives high levels of UV rays. The combination somehow creates a mole that metastasizes into cancer. Watch bands, sock lines, and even swimsuit straps can produce these slight irritations.
Sun protective clothing is specifically designed for sun protection and is produced from a fabric rated for its ultraviolet (UV) protection level. A novel weave structure and denier (related to thread count per inch) will create sun-protective properties. (SanSoleil uses nanofiber technology and embeds reflective materials into our fabrics to enhance its sun-protective properties.)
A relatively new rating designation for sun-protective textiles and clothing is UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor). Unlike SPF (Sun Protection Factor), which traditionally uses human sunburn testing in a laboratory environment, UPF measures UV radiation transmittance using a laboratory instrument (spectroradiometer) and an artificial light source and translates these results using a mathematical expression. Outdoor activities like golf, tennis, and pickleball require sun protective clothing to reduce the risk of severe Sunburns and Melanoma or basal cell cancers. So, cover-up, pop on a UV Sun Hat; have fun and stay safe.