It is an established fact that cumulative sun exposure increases your risk for skin cancer and accelerates aging changes in the skin. Only about 17% of people apply sunscreen before going outside. Of the 17 % of people who uses sunscreen, the majority of them apply an insufficient amount and at best achieve only 25%-40% of the sun protection factor that is on the label of the sunscreen bottle. Studies show that the further away the body part is from the face, the less likely sunscreen is applied. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying sunscreen to all sun exposed skin. Only 50% of people, who apply sunscreen, put it on their arms and only 3% of people apply sunscreen to their legs.

For those adverse to wearing sunscreen, there is an excellent alternative to sunscreen: photo protective clothing. Clothing is not a guarantee of adequate sun protection against carcinogenic inducing ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Fabrics vary greatly in their ultraviolet protection factor (UPF), depending on the type of material, weight, color, weave, and construction. UPF is a measure of how much of the sun’s UV radiation is absorbed.
Fabrics are tested in a lab with a spectrometer that measures how much UV radiation penetrates the fabric. For
example, a UPF 50 indicates that the fabric allows only 1/50th of the sun’s UV radiation to reach your skin. International criteria have been developed for UPF testing by American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTMI).
The average cotton shirt has a UPF of 7-9 and the typical cotton T-shirt has a UPF of 5-7. Denim and corduroy have a UPF of 1700, which does not allow any UV through, but it is not practical to wear denim when exercising or engaging in strenuous outdoor activities. Synthetic and semi-synthetic fibers such as polyester, rayon, lycra, elastane offer the greatest sun protection. Bleached cottons, gauzy silk, and crepe offer the lowest protection. Unbleached cotton contains special pigments called lignins that act as UV absorbers. The tighter the weave and the greater the density of the fabric , the higher the UPF rating. Dark or bright colors absorb more UV radiation than white or lighter colors. When fabrics are stretched, the UPF value decreases because the fabric becomes thinner and more transparent to light. When fabrics are wet they lose around 50% of their UPF. A wet cotton T-shirt has UPF 3 which provides no protection against skin cancer!
There are many companies that sell sun protective clothing. So how does one go about choosing and evaluating sun protective clothing ? Look for the UPF rating, which shows that the item has been tested and has met international testing standards . You cannot visually determine whether a fabric blocks UV radiation by holding it up to light because ultraviolet light is not within the range of human vision. (These wavelengths are too short for us to see and therefore, invisible.)

The two most common places to develop skin cancer are the head and neck. A wide brimmed hat affords good protection for the scalp, forehead and ears. Ideally the brim should be 4 inches. I recommend you wear a hat with a wire brim, so you can ad- just the angle of the hat depending on the direction of the sun rays . Wider hats tend to be floppier and impair vision. The wire brimmed hats hold the brim in place. Baseball caps are woefully inadequate for providing photoprotection. There is no protection for the ears and only covers a little area of forehead and top of your head.

The best sun protection hats have a drape that covers your neck and chest. Hats with only a drape in the back provide some protection to the back of the neck, but walking may generate a breeze causing the drape to blow up, exposing your neck to the sun. There are manufacturers of hats with neck drapes that cover the front, back, and sides of the neck. Outdoor Research makes a hat that covers the sides and back of the neck well, if the drawstring is tightened. However, it doesn’t cover the front of the neck well. Sunday Afternoons has a 3 panel drape hat that is fairly cool to wear when hiking and it can be snapped in front to cover the front of the neck well. My personal favorite is a hat that has a longer drape in front with a drawstring to protect your upper chest, too. Hats with a face covering are too hot to wear and I found it annoying to have the fabric constantly touching my face. The only company that I found carrying swim hats with a chin strap was Sunday Afternoons.
Not only does UV radiation cause skin cancer, it also causes sun damage in the form of brown spots . These spots, called solar lentigines, are often mislabeled as age spots when in fact they are not related to age. Ultraviolet radiation also thins the skin ; resulting in the appearance of tendons and veins on the tops of the hands becoming more prominent and easily bruising because the skin becomes more fragile. Wearing sunsleeves to protect the tops of hand and forearms, when outside or driving in the car, will help mitigate these changes.

There are a variety of sungloves and sunsleeves available. Eclipse makes sunsleeves with a thumb hole that covers your upper and lower arms and hands in multiple colors and patterns. The fabric is light weight and cool. It washes and wears well. It is made from a trademark fabric derived from coconut husk called Cocona®. My only criticism of these sleeves is that they do not go down far enough to cover your fingers. Sunday Afternoon makes sun gloves and sunsleeves out of polyester and elastane; this material is a little heavier in weight than Eclipse sleeves, but is comfortable to wear and washes well. Solartex sun gear has sunsleeves that are made of supplex nylon and elastane. The fabric is very thick and only comes in a tan color. The sleeves can be ordered as a long glove that completely encloses your fingers, or a glove with only the ends of the fingertips exposed. I found these gloves to be very warm and stiff. Some effort was required to move my fingers and hands when wearing them. If you always have cold hands or suffer from Raynaud’s phenomenon, you may like them.
I encourage you to choose clothing that has a UPF rating of 30 or higher. Sun Precautions boasts their fabric has a UPF 100 rating that does not diminished after 500 washes. In my search for clothing that looked presentable and suitable for social occasions other than going on a safari or riding a camel, I found 2 companies: Columbia and Solbari. These shirts wash well and dry quickly. They have vented netting under the arms for cooling and pockets. Best of all they do not resemble a camping outfit. When paired with the appropriate slacks and a scarf, they could be easily dressed up. The material feels pleasant against the skin. There are a variety of attractive colors and styles to choose from. Pants made by Solbari tend to run small. There is too much lower leg exposure for me to recommend the pants for sun protection, because the most common place for women to develop a melanoma is on their legs. I wish they have made them full length, instead of a cropped style.
Sun Protection Australia outsource their manufacturing to Indonesia. The designing and testing of the fabrics are done in Australia. The fabric is a heavier jersey and is hot to wear, if you engage in physical activity when the weather is warm. The shirts are well-made and wash well. I would recommend them for sailing or wearing in a sunny cooler weather.
Sun protective clothing loses its effectiveness, when pulled too tight, stretched or washed and worn repeatedly. If you are planning to swim, wear UPF clothing that has been specifically manufactured for water activities. Regular UPF clothing that is not designated as swimwear will not have the same UPF when wet (it will be much lower). It is a good idea to check the label to see if the fabric is chlorine and salt water resistant before buying it. There are rash guards with hoods which are a smart choice for swimming in the ocean or pool.
Turtleneck rash guards are harder to find. Patagonia makes one with a cap brim sewn into the hood. Unfortunately, it is only made for men.
You can improve your own clothing’s UPF by washing it several times with a UV filtering additive, such as Sun Guard. Washing alone will shrink the spaces between the fibers, making it harder for UV radiation to penetrate.