Sun Protection Means Learning How to Protect Yourself from Head to Toe
Sun Protection is a fact of life™
Sun Protection Means Learning How to Protect Yourself from Head to Toe
Sun protection is serious business now and is available in many compounds, forms, shapes and sizes. Sun-protection can be mainly categorized as follows;
• Sun-protection canopy
• Sun-protection shelter or tent
• Sun-protection umbrella
• Sun-protection hat
• Sun-protection clothing
• Sun-protection shirt
• Sun-protection gloves
• Sun-protection pants
• Sun-protection cream
• Sun-protection spray
• Sun-protection lotion
• Sunblock or Sunscreen (also available in cream, lotion or spray)
• Sun sleeves
• UV sunglasses
• Water shoes
Sun-protection canopy is very suitable for your backyard, school yard or basically any place that you or your children might choose to play outdoors under the hot Sun. These canopies are made of specialty fabrics which block the harmful UV rays from reaching your body.
Since children are at more risk by spending lots of time playing games in the Sun, every effort must be made in order to protect their skin and their body as a whole. So it's essential that their play area is fully protected from ultraviolet radiation throughout the day.
Nowadays sun protection shelters or tents are widely used in a variety of places ranging from the beach to the mountains' camping sites. The one main difference compared to old times is that they are made of UV blocking material, so that you are protected while inside.
Another easy way to protect your skin while spending time outdoors is the use of a sun protection umbrella or UV umbrella. These specialty umbrellas are not like your everyday umbrella, even though most of them can be used rain or shine.
There are some compact ones too, which are ideal for travel because when they are closed they hardly take any space. For instance they will be very handy when you will be getting on and off the tour bus the whole day or walking from one place to another in the hot sun. Your skin will thank you for it.
A sun protection hat is essential when it comes to protecting your head and shoulders. This includes your hair, scalp, forehead, ears, nose, face, neck as well as your eyes since some sunglasses allow the UV rays to get in through the gaps.
Therefore when you wear a wide brimmed Sun hat, you almost guarantee yourself an easy and safe outdoor experience. The back of the ears and the neck get ignored many times and this will alleviate any further issues such as that painful Sunburn.
Sun protection clothing may not be a very common subject at the dinner table but it sure is a day time and daily issue. Those of you who know about this somewhat already, you are way ahead of the rest of the population.
It wasn't much long ago where most people had not heard of sun protective clothing and its benefits. Thanks to the internet and the media, the word has gotten around and knowledge meaning power could not be truer in this case.
Thus, lots of people all over the world wear sun clothing everyday as a daily routine in order to protect their skin and avoid diseases such as skin cancer. This unique and UV blocking line includes shirts, pants, hats, gloves, sleeves and more.
One of the main reasons for wearing a sun protection shirt is to cover your arms, besides the rest of your upper body. Therefore, you might as well get the long sleeve ones. Otherwise, you will have to use sunscreen or sun sleeves for the exposed part of your lower arm.
Also the collar is important and should be taken into consideration when you are shopping for sun protection shirts. Some shirts come with layered collars which can be unfolded not once but twice, giving you maximum coverage all around your neck area.
There are fabrics too which not only block the UV rays, but also feel light and dry quickly. That's an ideal combination especially for when you are travelling for more than several days at a time. Just wash and rinse in your hotel room and hang to dry overnight.
The ventilation, body's heat dissipation and air circulation is another important factor when shopping for these UV shirts. Some models have mesh panel underarms, on the sides or upper back for great air flow and body temperature control during those hot sunny days.
Sun protection gloves are one of the best ways to protect your hands in the sun, especially when you are driving. Normally while your hands are on the wheel, they are constantly bombarded by the sun's UV rays which could lead to premature aging of your skin, wrinkles or even skin cancer.
However, use of sun gloves should not be limited just to driving a car or riding a motorcycle. Even while you are walking outdoors or holding a sun umbrella, your hands could still be exposed to the damaging ultraviolet rays depending on the time of day or your location.
There is perhaps a misconception that if you are using a sun umbrella, then you are totally protected. However, that may not be all true since the earth is on a constant move relative to the sun and the angle of exposure changes throughout the day.
This is where sun protection pants play a complementary role in your war against skin damage. Because even with an umbrella, it would be really difficult to cover your lower body and legs the whole time while on the move.
There is a variety of sun pants on the market which you can choose from, but they should be rated UPF 50+ for maximum sun protection. The bright color pants tend to remain cooler than the dark ones, since they shed more of the heat. The UV pants which have built in side vents are a great choice for keeping cool, which practically make air flow a breeze!
Sunblock or sunscreen is one unique way by which you can protect yourself from the damaging sun and its constant UV exposure. There are the Organic or Natural sunscreens versus the chemical ones. But some of the ingredients could get absorbed into your skin and thereby into your body. Just by that reason alone, you may want to stick with the Organic sunscreen brands.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has done a fantastic job in creating a list of all sunscreens and rating them especially by their level of toxicity. It's highly recommended that you check their list before buying any sunscreen.
The sunscreens of the spray kind versus cream or lotion have a few negative issues about them. If you are indoors, the spray mist could get up in the air and into your lungs and perhaps on your furniture. If you are outdoors and it's not all that calm, then the spray might get blown away or even blown back into your face if you are not careful. Hence sunscreen lotion or cream is much preferred for additional safety overall as well as sun safety.
Sun sleeves are relatively new to the sun protection arena, but certainly an integral part of it. They are versatile in the sense that you can have them on your arms while spending time in the sun and then easily remove them after the sun goes down.
They come in many colors and designs, making them fashion friendly and easy to match with your other sun protection apparel.
UV sunglasses not only protect your eyes from the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun, but also save your skin around the eyes. So the larger the lens, the more surface area these sunglasses cover. This is especially true in this case, since the skin around your eyes is one of the most sensitive and prone to getting more wrinkled than elsewhere.
A perfect pair of UV sunglasses should be rated 100% UVA and UVB protection so that your retina and thereby your central vision called the macula, get protected from being damaged by the sun's damaging rays.
Research has shown that one of the factors leading to Macular Degeneration, a major cause of blindness in young and old, is UV exposure from the sun or other artificial sources. So whenever there is a chance of UV exposure, UV protection is advised!
Are You Going Fishing or Walking on the Beach?
Then Water Shoes are your answer to feet protection as well as sun protection. Water shoes are designed so that when you are near water or even in the water, your feet won't get scratched, damaged or punctured by sharp objects such as rocks and glass.
A fringe benefit to wearing water shoes is that most of them are designed so that they cover the top of your feet also known as the Instep area and the Ankle, thereby supplying you with sun protection over your feet.
There you have it, Sun Protection Means Learning How to Protect Yourself from Head to Toe.
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