Not your first sunburn? Why Is The Best Sunburn Treatment UPF Clothing? Do you know that every sunburn puts you at higher risk for skin cancer?
It’s important to remember that, while the effects of sunburn that you see and feel can be treated, the interior damage done to your DNA can’t be undone. So the question about Why Is The Best Sunburn Treatment UPF Clothing answer is apparent. Prevention is the best thing you can do.
While the home remedies suggested a bit farther in this article offer some ‘relief’ to your sunburn, you can’t reverse the damage done by UV rays.
Wearing your sun blocking clothing, and protecting your skin is where your focus should be.
Many of us try to get outside every day for some form of exercise. Are we aware of what is happening to our skin? We may know that too much sun is bad for our skin, but what do we do about it?
When you get too much sun, the damage can lead to everything from sunburn to premature skin aging to skin cancer.
One of the simplest and most complete ways to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays is with UPF clothing.
Here is What UPF Is And Why You Need This Rating Information
This UPF thing is actually refers to Ultraviolet Protection Factor. The UPF factor is a rating for how well fabrics can block ultraviolet (UV) radiation and keep it from getting to your skin.
The higher the number for the UPF rating? That means more protection that fabric will provide. To help consumers have some idea of how to measure the various levels of protection, most UPF clothing falls into these 3 categories:
- Good: 15-20
- Very good: 25-39
- Excellent: 40-50
While any clothing will provide some level of sun protection, the average cotton tee shirt has a UPF of about 5.
Manufacturers must have their garments lab-tested to claim a UPF rating for that item. Most of the medical community generally agree that it’s best to select to claim a garment’s UPF rating of 30 or more.
To qualify for The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation, a fabric must have a UPF of at least 30.
These are good guidelines, and should be considered if you are thinking of getting into a better skin protection habit. This skin protection stuff has to become habit. A habit that you will follow through with automatically. One sunburn raises your skin cancer risk. How many have you had?
UPF Sun Blocking Clothing vs. SPF Sunscreen
The most obvious difference between UPF and SPF which stand for Sun Protection Factor, is that one applies to fabric and the other is to products applied directly on the skin, like sunscreen.
There is a bit more to the differences that that:
- UPF measures the amount of UV radiation blocked.
- SPF is a measurement of how long just 1 type of the sun’s rays, the UVB rays will take to redden your skin with sunscreen. This is compared to the amount of time without sunscreen that it will take to redden your skin.
- If you burn after a half-hour with no protection, an SPF 15 sunblock will keep you from reddening for 15 times longer than if you went without it. This is theory, and may not work as well for you. I turn red in 10 minutes in the sun. With SPF 15 I can usually last about 30 to 45 minutes before turning. Pay attention to your skin!
- The type of rays blocked is another notable distinction between UPF and SPF. Most SPF ratings, unless they’re broad spectrum, apply only to UVB rays, which affect the outer layer of skin.
- UPF-rated fabrics protect against UVA rays, which can penetrate lower levels of the skin, as well as UVB rays.
Why Are UPF Clothes Better Than Sunscreen?
There are many good reasons to add the superior protection against all of the sun’s rays. You will find some great reasons below to incorporate UPF-rated clothes in your outdoor fun in the sun days.
Easy and works so well:
- Perhaps the most important reason to choose the UPF clothing is easy to use.
- For sunscreen to work anywhere near as well is when applied correctly. Research has proven that this is something most people fail to do, and even those who get it right don’t reapply it often enough.
- UPF-rated clothes provide consistent protection and don’t require an application. When your sun blocking shirt is on your body, you are protected! That protection lasts until you take the shirt off.
- Even those who use the right amount of sunscreen and reapply it regularly are susceptible to missing a spot or applying it unevenly, which isn’t an issue with UPF clothes. So, you are Eliminating user error.
- No expiration date: Sunscreen expires after a set amount of time, while UPF-rated clothes provide sun protection for their entire life. Just a quick word here. The lifetime of a UPF garment is about 30 times in the laundry. So something you wear several times a week may not last the 2 years, which is the lifetime of a garment according to the customer service lady with Coolbar.
- Whether you’re sweating on the trail, enjoying a day on the lake, sunscreen will wash away. Some UPF clothing provides protection whether it’s wet or dry. However some looses it’s ability to protect you when wet. Read Lables to know if you are purchasing UPF clothing that is protecting your skin when wet.
A Few More Reasons For UPF Clothing
- Not haveing to keep reapplying sunscreen: When reapplying sunscreen you wind up with a greasy feeling body. The lotion gets on your clothes and towels and carseats. Often this results in stains.
- Extra bug protection: During bug season especially, insects can be pesky when the sun drops below the horizon and you’re not ready to go in. That loose fitting long-sleeve sun shirt with a hood that you wore to keep the rays off can do double duty protecting your skin from the annoying, biting insects.
If we haven’t convinced you yet, there is one more reason to invest in UPF clothes: By the time you are 70 years old, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer.
The Skin Cancer Foundation says, “sun-protective clothing is the simplest way to stay safe.”
Other Considerations When Selecting How You Will Protect Your Skin From The Sun
Choosing some UPF-rated clothes for you and your family is a great first step to having keeping your skin safe this summer. Here are a few more suggestions for when you start shopping. A few hints to help you get the most from choosing what UPF clothing to add to your wardrobe to protect your skin.
- Think about the Coverage: Look for items that will increase coverage of your skin for additional protection. For example, the extra head, neck, and face defense provided by a hood are one reason hooded sun shirts make so many of our must-have lists. The long sleeves that cover your arms are another bonus. Wider cuffs on the sleeves that offer finger holes to pull the coverage over top of you hand. A collar that can be pulled up on the back of your neck.
- Choose a Looser fit: Stretched clothing can provide windows for the sun to sneak through a garment’s defenses, which makes choosing looser-fitting clothes a safer bet. Your body needs room for the air to circulate around it when you are active and heat up.
- Check out the lightweight and wicking choices: Normally, UPF-rated clothes will see the most action during warm and sunny weather. Make sure to choose garments that breathe well and wick moisture away.
Sunscreen And UPF Clothing Together
Even when using UPF clothing, it still makes sense to keep sunscreen handy. UPF-rated clothing and sunscreen work best when used in together.
Sunscreen works as a great backup to UPF-rated clothes. There are parts of the body that UPF-rated clothes are challenged to cover, like your face and the back of your hands.
Even your sun-hat an important part of your sun protection wardrobe will find it difficult to protect your face. A sun hat is the 1st item you should consider when starting to build a UPF wardrobe.
The hat needs at least a 3-inch brim, and should be made of tightly woven material, felt, fabric, straw. Just make sure it is tightly woven.
Lets Consider Home Remedies For Sunburn
Home remedies for sunburn often get ignored. With sunburn, knowing how to help yourself heal easier and keep your skin healthy is important.
Summertime is here. For us here in central Texas that means it’s time to head outside and soak up the sun. Along with the all those hours spent outdoors during the summer season? There is also one inevitable thing, some will get a sunburn.
Fortunately, there are plenty of household items you can use to help cool the burning, itching, and peeling that come with damage from the sun.
Yes, it is time to head outside and soak up the sun.
Baking Soda And Oatmeal
Put a few heaping tablespoons of baking soda into a bathtub full of cool water. Stir well and soak for about 15 to 20 minutes, sound good? This soda bath helps minimize your sun damage.
Stirring a cup of oatmeal to the bath also soothes irritation and helps yourskin retain its natural moisture.
Don’t scrub your skin, either in the bath or after getting out. Dab yourself dry with a towel, no rubbing.
Aloe Vera Gel
If you don’t have an aloe vera plant in your house yet, you should get one. The gel inside this succulent plant has been used for centuries for all sorts of ailments, from upset stomachs to kidney infections.
Aloe Vera Gel also the sunburn relief most commonly found in over the counter medication for sunburn.
Cutting off a chunk of the plant leaf and applying the cut side directly to your skin provides immediate, soothing relief from the sting of a minor sunburn.
If you have a plant, try a 100 percent aloe vera gel, not an aloe-based lotion or ointment, if possible. If you can’t find a 100% pure gel, a mix of lotion or cream should be availabe in most pharmacies.
Chamomile Tea
We know that chamomile tea can be soothing to your spirit, but it can also soothe your sunburned skin. Brew the tea as you normally would to drink, and let it cool.
When it’s ready, soak a washcloth in it and gently dab to the affected area.
If you are allergic to pollen, you shouldn’t use this treatment. It can cause an allergic reaction to your skin.
Shaving Cream
Shaving cream isn’t just for razors anymore. It’s also a great sunburn treatment.
The menthol in shaving cream takes the heat out of sunburn and provides instant relief.
Try this on a small patch of sunburn before going all over.
Wear Loose Fitting Clothing
While your skin is repairing itself, make sure to wear clothing that doesn’t stick to your skin.
Your skin is your body’s largest organ. So it’s best to give it some room to breathe as it heals from a major traumatic injury like sunburn. Don’t kid yourself, sunburns are serious, and your skin is damaged.
Natural fibers, like cotton or bamboo, make for the best clothing for after healing sunburn weare.
Drink More Water During This Healing Time
As your skin is recovering from the damage from the sun’s rays, it needs the moisture replaced that it lost during your time out in the sun.
Even if you are already drinking your eight glasses of water a day, a nasty sunburn should be reason enough to drink more during this healing time.
Moisturizer Will Also Help You Heal Faster
After your cooling shower, applying moisturized is a very important step in your healing. After that, your skin will still need tender loving care.
One of the most important things you can do to prevent skin from peeling or at least keep your pealing to a minimum is to regularly apply moisturizer to the all affected areas.
Use fragrance free, dye-free moisturizer. This is usually marketed for “sensitive skin.” Keep skin irritation to a minimum with your moisturizer,.
A Surprise Sunburn
You know that using sunscreen will help protect your skin from sunburn.
You know that applying sunscreen and staying out of the sun will help you miss that dreaded sunburn.
But, we know it happens.
While there’s no immediate cure for sunburn, there are ways to find relief.
Here are a few more suggestions for how to get relief from a sunburn when you are stuck at from home.
Relieve Sunburn Pain With Potatoes
This uncommon treatment for sunburn calls for potatoes! Yes, potatoes. Wash and slice two potatoes into chunks. Drop in ablender, process sliced potatoes until a paste is formed. You may need to add a tablespoon of water or so to make a paste. Gently pat paste on sunburn area. After the paste is dry, gently shower to get dried potato paste off.
Continue applying several times a day for a few days until the pain subsides.
Honey also is known as a treatment for all ills.
It’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and can help the skin grow new skin cells.
Of course, the best way to treat sunburn is to not get one at all. Grab a sun blocking hat, your sunblocking shirt and sunglasses, and a bottle of sunscreen. Don’t let this happen again!
Stay hydrated, keep cool, and if the sunburn is too painful, you can take some ibuprofen.
Stay covered up next time you go outside so your sunburn isn’t exposed to even more sun.
Call a doctor if a sunburn causes you to have a fever or if you are showing signs of dehydration.
Treat Your Sunburn By Not Allowing It To Happen
The easiest way to treat sunburn is to avoid it.
Here are some more facts about sunburn:
Sunburn hurts you in more ways than the short-term pain, redness and discomfort. After the sunburn fades, and you skin heals, lasting damage remains.
Sunburn speeds up your skin aging. As well as being the leading cause of the majority of cases of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Sunburn is bad news, but the good news is that it’s preventable. And today is the best time to start your prevention program.
Just A Quick Reminder, What Is Sunburn?
Sunburn is an inflammatory reaction to ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage to the skin’s outermost layers.
Melanin is a pigment that gives your skin its color and defends it against the sun’s rays. Melanin works by darkening your unprotected sun-exposed skin.
The amount of melanin you produce is determined by your genetics. This is the reason why some people get sunburned while others tan.
Both tan and sunburn are signs of cellular damage to your skin.
For people with less melanin, long sessions of time with unprotected sun exposure can cause skin cells to become red, swollen and painful. Some people sunburn, even with sunscreen.
This is what we call sunburn. Sunburns can range from mild to deep and blistering.
After a sunburn, your skinwill probably start to peel. This is a sign that your body is trying to rid itself of damaged cells.
Never try to peel the skin yourself. Let it come off naturally. Peeling the skin off, will slow down healing.
Some Risks For Sunburn
- Some people a higher risk and are more prone to sunburn: Skin type determines your susceptibility. People with fair skin run the greatest risk. But anyone can become sunburned.
- Even if you don’t get a sunburn, sun exposure, by itself raises skin cancer risk. Even if you have a tan or your skin tones are dark, and your skin does not redden, the sun will cause cellular deep damage that can lead to cancer.
- The UV index is a factor: The sun varies in intensity by season, time of day, and geographic location. A high UV index means that your unprotected skin will burn faster or more severely. Be careful, especially when the sun is strongest. Even when the index is low, risk remains. It is up to your to protect yourself every day of the year.
- You can burn on an overcast day: Remember your sun blocking clothing even when the sun isn’t shining. Up to 80 percent of UV rays can penetrate clouds. Overcast skies can actually allow early aging rays, the UVA, even though it is cool. Heat rays are UVB. Aging rays are UVA.
- Even light pink is still bad: No matter how mild, every burn is a sign of injury to your skin. This will result in premature aging and higher risk of skin cancer.
After Sunburn Risks Are Building
- Every repeated sunburns raise your risk. For light-skinned people, especially those with a genetic predisposition, sunburn has a clear role in developing melanoma. Research shows that the UV rays that can damage skin. UV rays can also alter a tumor-suppressing gene, giving damaged cells less chance to repair before progressing to cancer.
- Are you among those who work or play sports outdoors? If you have a greater risk of frequent sunburns that can result in skin cancer.
- One blistering sunburn while you are a child or during adolescence more than doubles your chances of developing melanoma later in you life.
- Beginning with the very first sunburn skin damage builds up over time. The more often you burn or tan, the higher your risk of skin cancer. UV damage can occur even when there is no obvious burn.
- Five or more sunburns more than doubles your risk of developing potentially deadly melanoma
- It’s easy to reduce your risk of skin cancer by practicing sun safety.
Learn from your burn and make this one your last!
While your burn will heal, the damage is done, so take care to prevent sunburn. Not just at the beach or pool, but every day in our daily life by staying in the shade, using a broad-spectrum sunscreen and wearing your protective clothing.
Sami’s Take On Why Is The Best Sunburn Treatment UPF Clothing?
UPF Clothing provides the best ways to keep your skin safe. Society has trended towards not keeping ourselves protected and covering or skin. The risk is high for developing skin cancer. My family is a good example of why skin cancer rate are increasing.
We are better about protecting our skin, but we still don’t avoid problems completely. Even after having skin cancer removed, we are still guilty of forgetting our skin protection routine.
This is an ongoing effort, and we will continue to work at improving. With our wardrobe of UPF clothing improving, we do protect ourselves more. Any little bit is better than the direction we were going.
What are you doing to make your life more safe from the sun? Do you have you sun blocking hat? What about your sunglasses that block 100 % of the damaging rays. Your sun blocking shirt? Get started putting your sun blocking tool box together to be able to do a better job of protecting your skin.