Do you think Sun Blocking Clothing For Women is what you see here? Have you seen old vintage photos of what a woman might dress like in the early Westerns?
When my Mom was young, women were acutely aware of sun-induced aging. Are we as vigilant now? My mother, caught in the middle, envied our sun-soaked freedom but underestimated sun damage.
Sunscreen wasn’t in our vocabulary; we aimed for a faster tan using oils. As a young parent, unaware of visible damage, I failed to pass on skin protection secrets.
Signs appeared, but I dismissed them, and my warnings to our kids fell on deaf ears.
My Mom never really did away with the long-sleeved shirts to protect her arms from sunburn. But of course, I knew that all those cool kids in Florida and California didn’t cover their arms in long sleeves. They wore bikinis!
Hello, I’m Sami Williams, and I have been in the battle against skin cancer for over four decades. My struggles, marked by the frustrations of recurring skin issues and the challenges of less-than-desirable surgical outcomes, have fueled a passion for sun safety that extends through generations.
Basics Of Sun Protection
When thinking about sun blocking clothing for women, you know that you need to consider style. You won’t enjoy wearing something that you feel isn’t attractive to you. But, will you prioritize protection over style?
Choose the colors you find attractive to ensure consistent wear.
You will need long sleeves and a collar or hood. Start with a color that is complimentary for you.
I have a V on my upper chest where the sun has repeatedly been allowed to shine on my skin. That area needs to be protected.
A basic sun blocking shirt made of tightly-woven fabric is important for your skin protection from the sun. A loose-fitting shirt with long sleeves and a collar or hood offers basic protection for the torso of your body.
My Mom’s Story
My Mom and Dad loved getting out and driving around in the farming area where they lived after retirement. They could go check to see if crops in the area were doing well. Was the cotton ready to gather? How a neighbor’s fence was coming along.
Dad always drove. Mom on the passenger side was exposed to many afternoons of sunshine through the car windows.
They didn’t play golf or do many of the other things that retired people enjoy. They liked to drive around.
So many repeated exposures after retirement. Then added to the exposures she had while working and raising a family? Her repeated exposures finally caught up with her.
She had skin cancer removed from her upper chest, above where most of her blouses buttoned. Was about the size of a half dollar. It healed quickly and did not happen again.
That is the only incident of skin cancer I knew about for my parents.
Changing Perspective
I would not have considered taking Sunday drives most every day of the week dangerous. Was this an activity that required sun blocking clothing protection? Obviously.
This is something we have to give some thought to when we decide what we need to wear to protect ourselves from sunburn and too much sun exposure.
https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/sun-safety-protect-your-skin-this-summer-and-all-year-round
Then she also would have needed to consider that they stopped at the Dairy Queen for coffee or ice cream almost every day. So she wanted to look nice. This was their social outing quite often. She remembered her jewelry.
We are strange beings, those of us blessed enough to be female. I am grateful to have spent more time with my parents as they got older, and have had time to reflect on some things that seemed strange at the time, but now see as very practical actions.
I am very grateful they lived where they could have the freedom to get out and take that drive. Get out of the house for a while. For them, it was better to live in the less populated areas for this to be possible.
The Results Show Up
The upper chest area is where my Mom had actual skin cancers appear. Right where her blouse did not cover. That “V” on her throat and upper chest. She noticed them when they were small enough that they were easier for the dermatologist to take care of.
Mom found out that the DNA had been changed on her upper chest and her skin could no longer heal itself from too much sun. We all have differences of opinion about where our personal comfort zone is, regardless of exposure to the sun.
Protecting your skin from overexposure to the sun will reward you well in the future. And therein lies the problem with getting people to be aware of how much the sun damages your skin. Why We Develop Skin Cancer
Like saving money for the future, it takes a while but after a while, you will see a benefit. You will be able to make a difference in your lifestyle because you have stayed out of debt and saved money. The result shows up but does often take a while.
So it is with protecting your skin from the sun. And avoiding the dry leathery look of your skin. You won’t have to deal with wrinkles. At least not like those who have not been so careful. Who said that you are old longer than you are young? That person was a wise soul.
Will You Wear Sun Blocking Clothing
Giving some consideration to your lifestyle will help you as you are planning your sun blocking clothing purchases.
I found that I spend little time around water anymore. I am in the yard and attending sports events for my grandkids. Different life cycles call for different answers. Those who hike the trails. The golfers, and fishermen. So many different ways to take you out and in the sun.
What is different for me, and probably for my Mom is we take medication now. There are more medications given than ever before. We forget how some medication makes our skin more sensitive.
Suggestions For Basic Skin Protection
Check out your closet. Do you have some shirts that will give better protection from the sun?
When you are choosing from clothing that is not specifically woven or treated to be sun blocking:
Tight woven fabrics like denim, or other tightly woven cloth and a darker color. Fibers can be 100% natural like cotton, linen, silk, and wool. Or a blend with man-made fibers. How tightly they are woven, and how thick they are is what determines the protection from the sun.
Oddly enough the most important thing is to wear the item. So many people have what they need, but don’t wear those skin-protecting garments. Most people in this area have a denim shirt. A long-sleeved denim shirt. Jeans. Dark denim jeans.
Remember the old Western movies? They depicted the cowboy with a long-sleeved shirt, a bandana around his neck, and a wide-brimmed hat. Often gloves and always boots. He was properly garbed for a day in the sun, including the direct sun hours.
How do you go out for a day in the sun?
Importance Of Being Attractive and Comfortable
After looking at how cowboys in old movies were dressed, this probably isn’t how we see ourselves. You can understand the necessity of attractiveness and comfort. We want to enjoy our time outside.
So choosing appropriate clothing is important to make this happen. Making sure that your sun blocking clothing works for you is important.
You do need to protect your skin from the sun. The garments you choose should be easy to wear and comfortable while protecting you.
Putting a bit of thought into getting a comfortable garment, and one that is attractive will help you be more faithful in wearing your sun blocking clothing.
Apply sunscreen on the areas you don’t have covered with clothing. You will find that your skin may not always be able to recover from sunburn quickly.
Help yourself by protecting your skin. You have more ways in now than ever before, and you can look great doing it.
Sun blocking clothing for women can be a battle that you win.
Sami’s Take On Protection From The Sun Sun Blocking Clothing For Women
We can no longer allow bad habits from our past to continue to cause problems in the future Maybe you, like me, were unaware of the damage we were doing to your skin.
You aren’t an impulsive teenager anymore. You are building your future skin health with how you are protecting yourself from the sun. Will you start with your basic sun blocking wardrobe today?
Find your sun hat with at least a 3-inch brim. It should be made from tightly woven fabric, straw, or felt. This will protect your head, face, neck, and ears.
Wear your sunglasses. Wraparound styles are better or lens with oversized frames. With a lens that protects from 98% of the UV rays from the sun.
Your sun hat and sunglasses are the basic parts of your skin-protecting wardrobe with the addition of a long-sleeve, loose-fitting sun blocking shirt with a collar to pull up to protect the back of your neck.
Now, you should put sunscreen on your face, neck, nose, and ears. Even with a wide brim, there will be reflections from the sun. You will need sunscreen on your legs unless you have sun-blocking long pants.
Don’t forget your feet. If the sun can reach any part of your feet, apply sunscreen to protect your skin.
How Will You Protect Your Skin From The Sun?
Changing some sun-dangerous habits for safer ones will require your awareness. However, you will be doing yourself a great favor if you start to make some changes today.
Can you begin to practice safer fun in the sun habits? Today?