The Need for Sun Protective Clothing

Australians love their beaches. When summer is approaching, the topic of conversation inevitably turns to the summer holidays and plans begin in earnest for summer fun.

There is nearly 37,000 km of coastline, and eight out of ten Aussies live within 100 kilometres of the country's 11,000 plus beaches. The beach life is a very important part of Australian culture; in fact, their music and other art forms portray beach life over the years.

The lifestyle of Aussies also revolves around the outdoors, in general. People are very casual and jovial, as the national saying says, "no worries mate" which sets the tone of things.

This casual lifestyle lends itself to jogging, fishing, hiking, camping and gardening, which are all outdoor activities that are extremely popular with most people, who take excursions and stay outdoors as much as possible. However, with all of the enjoyment that Aussies take in from their outdoor activity, they get quite a bit of sun exposure.

Negative Effects of Too Much Sun Exposure

While a certain amount of exposure to the sun is positive because of its vitamin D, but too much sun leads to cancer, which is not good. The fact is that Australia is considered to be a high-risk skin cancer country because of the sun exposure of the majority of the population from being outdoors a lot.

Melanoma

Each year, there are over 11,500 men and women in Australia who are diagnosed with Melanoma, which is one of the most aggressive cancers if not checked early. Each year skin cancer is attributed to 80%, over 270,000 cases, of all of the cancers that are diagnosed in Australia.

The culprit is the ultraviolet (UV) radiation that is emitted by the sun as it causes:

• Skin deterioration
• Premature ageing and loss of elasticity of the skin
• Eye damage
• Sunburn
• Skin cancer

According to the Cancer Council of Australia, skin cancer can be prevented by:

• Wearing protective clothing
• The use of appropriate sunscreens
• Staying out of the sun

Staying out of the sun is probably impossible in Australia, simply because of their lifestyle and attraction to the beaches and being outdoors. There are, however, measures of precaution that can be taken.

Many skin issues that Aussies encounter with the sun can be overcome by wearing sun protective clothing. Sunscreen is not always the best solution because people forget to continue to put it on their skin, especially if they are swimming, snorkelling, water skiing or enjoying an activity.

A recent discovery lends lots of doubt about the effectiveness of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer. A Sydney University team of researchers recently discovered that the Ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn are not the UV rays that cause skin cancer. The UV rays that cause skin cancer are the UVA rays, and they penetrate the skin more deeply than the UV rays. Consequently, the current safety ratings for sunscreens may be entirely wrong. It is interesting to note as well that the most harmful rays, the UVA rays, do not burn the skin, which is why the situation can be so treacherous and sneaky.

Consequently, wearing sun protective clothing is a sensible method for the prevention of cancer. Regular clothing is not preferable for the prevention of the UVA rays, as they are very porous to them. It is important to wear clothing that is treated to deflect the UVA rays; otherwise, a person is at risk.

One company, Stingray, is very conscious about the research and the proper treatment of fabric in all of their clothing. Their clothing and swimwear effectively block more than 97.5 percent of the UVA radiation that comes from the sun.

While melanoma is the most dangerous cancer that comes from overexposure to the sun, the basal cell carcinoma is the most common brand of skin cancer. It occurs in the top layer of skin cells, called the epidermis. It is painless and looks like it is harmless, but if you suddenly see any unusual growth on the skin you should have it checked out.

It usually appears on the part of the body that is most exposed to the sun such as the nose, neck, ears, etc. It is most common in people who are over age 40, but younger people can get it if they are in the sun a lot. It is highly curable, especially in the early stages, and it almost never spreads to other parts of the body.

Squamous cell carcinoma

The second most prevalent kind of skin cancer is the Squamous cell carcinoma. It also starts in the epidermis or the upper layer of skin. It can occur on any part of the body, but mostly it is in the overexposed areas such as the ear, the lower lip, and the back of a person's hands.

This cancer appears as a smooth, red bump, and sometimes bleed. Squamous cell cancer remains at the epidermis level for some time, but it will eventually break through to the underlying tissues, and if not treated, will enter the lymphatic system and can be just as deadly at that stage as any other type of cancer.

Melanoma is the most serious, and thus deadly type of skin cancer because it can spread very rapidly once it is established. The studies on the development of the cancer point to the overexposure to UV rays as a significant reason for the incidence of the cancer.

Melanoma appears as a blackish or brownish mole-like growth on the skin, and can be other colours as well, but most often is blackish or brownish. It has an irregular border and an uneven height off of the skin. It is very important to see a doctor once you notice any aberration of a mole or any skin pigmentation for immediate discovery and diagnosis is the key to curing melanoma, and it is curable if detected early enough.

Sun protective clothing is the single most effective way to prevent the bad UV rays from reaching the skin. The tighter the weave, the less apt the rays are going to penetrate the clothing. The darker and brighter the colours, such as red, black, and dark blue absorb the UV rays and don't let them through, as opposed to white or lightly coloured clothing.

Thin fabric such as silk, bleached cotton fibres and other lightweight clothing also let more UV rays through as the thickness of the fibre and lighter colours are more porous. Look for a UPF label on the clothing, as this will help to identify what garments and items of clothing are sun protected by design. The number on the label denotes the fraction of the sun's UV rays can penetrate the fabric.

Things that Can Protect Your Skin

Broad-Brimmed Hats

Broad-brimmed hats are also a very effective way to keep UV rays off of some of the most vulnerable areas of your body, the ears, lips, neck and cheeks. Always wear a broad-brimmed hat when you are hiking, at the beach, playing golf or any other outdoor activity. Hats are great and get the job done totally as far as protection around the face, head, and neck areas.

Protective Clothing

Since it is common knowledge that prolonged exposure to the sun's UV rays is horribly corrosive to the skin, this makes sense to use the best methods of protection.

Wearing clothing that is specially made for sun protection is the best single way to offset the damage done by UV rays.

Studies have shown that wearing sunscreen may not have anything to do with the prevention of skin cancer at all, which throws sunscreen out the window as a means of cancer prevention. This leaves the wearing of sun protective clothing as the best method of cancer protection, other than simply staying out of the sun.

Most regular clothing and fashions that are on the market today are very ineffective against the sun's UV rays. Most fashions that are sold in hot climates are made for comfort, such as keeping a person cool, and the thought of them being a sunscreen is not even in the equation.

These garments are geared for comfort and fashion, not as sun blockers. They are made from cotton that is loosely knit with an open weave, which is designed to let out the heat and keep the wearer cool. Unfortunately, an open weave allows the sun and the UV waves through and onto the skin.

Clothing that is sun-protected is manufactured from fabrics that are special for the occasion and have a tighter weave. They are also designed with colours that are chosen just for this purpose too. Colours such as dark reds, blues, browns and black, absorb the UV rays causing less potential damage.

People should be skeptical of fabrics too where it is stated that chemicals that block the UV rays are "washed in" the fabric or sprayed on the surface. This can be an unreliable technique because if a chemical can be "washed in", it can certainly be washed out, and this can happen over time. It is also very unlikely that the chemicals are distributed throughout the cloth on an even basis. Also, it may not be wholly desirable to have the chemicals next to your skin for any length of time.

You should definitely look for clothing that is reliably made to block the UV rays by how the fabric is manufactured and how the weave of the fabric is tightly done, and a fabric that has a recognised UPF label.

For example, Stingray is a well-known company that markets not only in Australia, but on a worldwide basis, a line of clothing that is geared from infants to senior citizens. Its line of clothing has a consistent sun UV blockage of up to 97.5 percent.

Hats

Protection for infants is especially important, as their skin is particularly sensitive, and undue exposure to the UV rays of the sun will simply play havoc with their vulnerable skin. Hats are imperative to cover the face from the sun, and protective clothing for the hands and arms are vital as well.

Young people and young adults always think that nothing can harm them, and we see them not only spending lots of time at the beach and other outdoor activities, but at the tanning beds as well.

There is definite proof from many validated studies that prolonged time in the tanning beds has been just as damaging if no more damaging than spending time in the sun. Many young people visit tanning beds during the winter months to be able to show up at the beach with a tan from the beginning of the summer season.

According to dermatologists, the more the people expose their skin to the sun’s UV rays, the more likely they are to have adverse effects down the line as they get older.

This is why you will see middle aged people with hard, leathery skin who in their youth spent lots of unprotected time in the sun. This promotes the use of a sun protective clothing all the more because too much sun exposure in one's youth can be a life threatening event later in life.

People are paying more and more attention to these facts, but there is still a long way to go. Limiting exposure to the sun, even while participating in outdoor activities is becoming more and more in the mainstream of thought, and the use of clothing that is specially designed for that purpose is the very best means of protection. This message must be spread, particularly to the younger generations for the good of their future.