Why should I wear sun block clothing?
Isn’t that some new fad that rich people are jumping on board about?
Me? Do I need sun block clothing here in the hill country of Texas? I wear jeans and tee shirts with a long sleeve loose fitting shirt over the tee shirt or instead of a tee shirt. I don’t get out much, except around our house and yard.
Working from home keeps me home even more, so really, do I need to wear sun blocking clothing?
Clothing is the first and most effective protection for your skin. The sun can be completely blocked with clothing.
How Do You Spend Your Day?
Do you work in an office all day? Or a classroom? Do you have a 15minute commute, or is it more like an hour? Are you moving about all day from room to room in your workplace?
Are there many windows that allow sunlight or reflections into the space you work in? The scientific community is learning more all the time about how to protect your skin.
Now we just have to pay attention and use the information that is shared and protect our skin.
For too long we did not pay attention to what kind of light we are protecting ourselves from. We actually considered protecting our skin from the sun to just for vacations on the beach! We just didn’t know.
As you consider your daily activities what do you think is a good plan for you?
Your Daily Plan For Sun Protection
Many people work in and out of the sun all day. Obviously, you need to invest in sun blocking clothing. You need the most protection that is available and appropriate for your day.
If your company has guidelines for workday clothes, make sure that you shop options and find the sun block clothing that you need.
Don’t ignore the sun blocking hat. Your sunglasses with the extra large lens or a wrap around style. These are the basics the rest of your sun protection is built on. As the most important part of the protection plan your hat and sunglasses help keep you looking younger as well.
What About Sunscreen?
With sunscreen and sun blocking clothing you can take better care of your skin, and not fall victim to skin cancer. There are many things to work with for those who enjoy sports in the sun. Many can be added to your daily skin protection as well.
Sunscreen is still defending itself from claims of carcinogens in the product. The claims have been proven true, but the amount is supposedly not enough to actually cause cancer.
However, other products also contain a very small amount of these cancer-causing chemicals. How quickly does it add up? Who is keeping up with the totals?
Your sun blocking clothing can look great. It will absorb or block harmful UV radiation from your body. A combination of sunblock clothing and a moderate amount of sunscreen can keep you safer from skin damage from too much sun.
Combining sun block clothing and sunscreen can keep you safer all around.
The Importance Of A Plan
Like most plans, when you rely on just one resource, the job of protecting your skin can be difficult. By having a plan that allows both sun block clothing and sunscreen you will be able to protect your skin from the sun easier. Having to depend too much on just one form of skin protection makes the job more difficult.
Making a list of what you think might work so that you can look at consider your particular lifestyle to see what will work and what might not is similar to a trial run. Trial runs can expose issues or gaps that need to be addressed.
It is better to see the problem on Monday evening before vacation starts on Friday after work. This gives you adjustment time. Your plan will be different from mine. I would probably have little use for your vacation time fun gear.
One size does not fit all. This is why we come home sunburned and miserable. Why our skin gets too much sun one more time. Taking the time for a plan to start with gives you more control over the amount you spend, and the protection you need.
You can adjust your plan each time. This makes the next trip easier. Don’t skip planning.
How To Make Your Plan
For some of us, planning is automatic. For others, not so much.
I have found that having a few things for a vacation that I really like and feel comfortable in makes my trip go better. So what about sun block clothing? How to adapt the wardrobe of every day to sun filled vacation skin protection wear?
List time: First write down the days of vacation:
Friday, July 9 Travel day leave at 3 PM Jeans and Tee shirt. Denim overshirt, sunglasses, sun hat. NewBalance shoes
Saturday, July 10 Day in Resort Casual Dinner Swim Suit, flip flops, Cover-up, Sun hat, sunglasses, sun block shirt. Sunscreen Jeans and Black Top, sandals
Sunday, July 11 Day to Unwind
This is not hard, and once it is complete, you can use the plan over and over with minor adaptions for this current year. You can see at a glance what you have planned. The days you need to pay attention to sun block clothing and making sure you have sunscreen.
Taking time to plan will make your trip flow better. You can prepare.
I Know Why I Should Wear Sun Block Clothing
Now that I have had trips to the dermatologist to remove skin cancers, I know why I should wear sun block clothing. I didn’t know earlier in my life. Now to add more layers of sun damage to my skin would be really careless. Even though I have grown children and grandchildren, I do not want to have more sunburn.
My lifestyle allows me to protect my skin, and I will. I could have done better earlier, but I just was not aware. Are you allowing yourself to become aware for yourself and your family?
Are you watching the sun exposure times to get less sun during the 10 AM to 4 PM times? Have you planned in break time in the shade or the house to cool down? Do you have sun hats, sunglasses, sun block shirts and sunscreen to protect your skin?
What Can We Do?
Personal responsibility is important. Take care of your skin. You only get one! Your awareness is important.
Sun blocking clothing and sunscreen remains the most effective forms of protection against sun damage and skin cancer. What’s more, sun block clothing can be attractive and very comfortable. You can easily hand wash if needed while travelling. Sun block clothing can help keep the build-up of chemicals from the sunscreen in your body.
Tips For Making Sure Sun Block Cloths Protect Your Skin
- You will sunburn through fabrics if light shines through the garment when held up to the sun. Those little pinpricks of light are dangerous.
- If the fabric of regular or sun block clothes are light colors be very careful when you wear them. Know the danger that very light weight fabrics may bring.
- Clothes that are wet or stretches too tight also let in more sunlight.
- Shade and clouds are unreliable shields. A shade tree helps, but will not block out the sun.
- Beach or sun umbrellas help, but again yu will still get 40 to 50% of the sun’s radiation. Remember that radiation also reflects off the sand, sky, cement and water.
- Consider boosting the sun-shilding abilities of your normal clothes by washing them using a laundry detergent that contains brighteners. These particles in the fabris will absorb some ultraviolet radiations. With sunscreen the garments can help protect your skin.
- Remember to combine everything you can to protect your skin. Sun blocking clothing, sunscreen, shade, unbrellas, any kind of shade or cooling area to keep your skin safe.
- Your common sense will do the best job of keeping your safe.
Sami’s Take On “Why Should I Wear Sun Block Clothing?”
Those of us who have not been as aware as we should have been. We grew up in the Coppertone tan worshipping world. Changing our habits is not easy I know. However, changing something for safer fun in the sun summer will pay dividends.
Start with a sun hat. Upgrade your shades. Then grab a shirt out of your closet. When you are in the sun, protect yourself.
Watch the time of day you are out. Habits are easier to change if you keep them smaller and something you can do. Your skin will thank you. Your families skin will be healthier.
Skin protection from the sun is a mindset. You can change yours.