Sun protective clothing is for anyone looking to spend time outdoors safely in the sun. Around 90% of skin cancers result from overexposure to the sun.
Regular clothing may have a UPF rating as low as 5, which means that up to 20% of UV radiation is able to penetrate the garment. Specialist sun protective clothing should have a UPF rating of 50+ which means that at least 98% of UV radiation is blocked. UPF 50+ rating is the highest sun protective rating in the world for fabrics. Sunscreens also adopt a sun protective rating which is called SPF.
Sun protection clothing and sun hats are designed to provide excellent skin coverage and should utilise fabrics which are lightweight and breathable so that they are comfortable to wear in hot, sunny conditions.
People with a fair complexion who have a skin type classified as 1 to 3 (on the Fitzpatrick scale) are most at risk of skin ageing, skin cancer and melanoma. Skin cancers are typically represented by irregular moles. People with more than 50 moles on their skin are more likely to develop skin cancer from sun exposure. People who are regularly exposed to the sun or have experienced sunburn also have an increased likelihood of developing skin cancer.
Sun protective clothing is the first line of defence against skin cancer.
Dermatologists recommend sun protective clothing and sun hats as the best defence to skin ageing, skin cancer and melanoma. Sunscreen is an effective way to protect yourself from the harmful UV radiation but is considered as a last resort i.e. when you are unable to block UV with clothing.
Solbari is an Australian based sun protection brand. Solbari has a range of sun care products which includes UPF50+ sun protective clothing, broad brim sun hats and SPF50+ sunscreens.
You can find out more about Solbari's certified UPF50+ sun protective range by clicking the blue links below:
Women UPF50+
Men UPF50+
Sun hats UPF50+
Accessories UPF50+
