Sun-Protective Clothing Checklist

• Tightly woven and dark or bright colors offer better protection than pale or pastel colored, loosely woven clothes.
• Thicker, heavier fabrics offer higher UPFs
• The closer the fabric is to the skin the less sun protection it offers.
• Generally, if you can see the sun through a fabric, it does not offer a very high UPF.

Light-colored, lightweight and loosely-woven fabrics do not offer much protection from the sun and these are precisely the types of clothes people tend to wear in warm weather.

Ultraviolet Protection Factor

Just like sunscreen, the sun protectiveness of clothing can be evaluated and rated with a measuring system called Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). UPF is a similar concept to SPF, however UPF rates both UVA and UVB protection, whereas SPF only rates UVB protection.

What type of fabrics protect the best?
The general rule is that the heavier the fabric, the tighter the weave and the darker the color, the better sun protection your clothing will give you. If in doubt, hold your garment up to the light. If you can see light through it, UV radiation can penetrate it. Suncreen may be necessary even under your clothing, especially in the summer when most people do not wear heavy, dark fabrics.

Clothing may lose its effectiveness if pulled too tight or stretched out. It may also lose up to 50% of its UPF when wet.

Hi-tech clothing.
Technology brings usfabrics that have been specially treated with chemical UV absorbers, known as colorless dyes. These dyes help prevent some penetration of both UVB and UVA rays. Though still a bit of a specialty product, more manufacturers are now making this special sun-protective clothing that has been treated with a chemical sunblock during the manufacturing process. They also use the best weaves and colors for sun protection. The garments are designed to cover as much of the skin as possible.

Only clothes with a UPF of 15-50+ may be labeled as sun-protective. Those marketed as sun-protective are typically UPF 50+.

Accessories.
Don't go anywhere without your hat and sunglasses! Our scalps and retinas need protection from the sun as well.

Make sure your sunglasses are UVA/UBV protectant. Prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB can cause significant eye damage, everything from temporary discomfort to long-term vision problems such as cataracts.