Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Importance of Protecting Your Skin

By Amanda Somrekli

How to protect yourself from UVA and UVB?:The most crucial and significant method for protecting your skin is to wear sun protection clothing which have ultra-protection factor of UPF50+, this means over 97.5% of UV rays are blocked and can not penetrate the fabric.

These rays are short enough to break the chemical bonds in the skins tissue. When bare skin is exposed to this light, the skin will either burn or become tan. Tanning causes a grayish brown discoloration of the skin.

With all we know now about the damage that the sun can cause, you may feel as though you need to hide under an umbrella all summer. And no wonder: Exposure to the sun's UVA radiation promotes irregular pigment, fine lines, wrinkles, rough texture, and thin and dry skin.

UVB radiation burns as well as tans. And it can lead to skin cancer, of which there are a million new cases every year. But don't fret: You can play outside safely. "Proper sun protection will save your skin as well as your life," says dermatologist Sandra Read, M.D.

Children's skin is very sensitive and will take only seconds to get scalded or sunburned. This garment will not solve the problem that UV rays will create. It only gives an alert to the parent that their child is exposed to a problem and has to be taken care of.

It is the parents responsibility to create proper awareness in the minds of the children about UV rays and teach their children how to protect themselves against it.

Some clothing and swimsuits manufacturers now produce a protective clothing line with a UPF or ultraviolet protection factor. Designed for those who spend a lot of time outdoors such as surfers, sailors, golfers, hikers, fishers, and others, these clothes are stylish and functional.

You'll find protective clothing for all members of the family, including infants. Even if you can't find or afford clothing with UPF, tightly woven fabrics and dark colors are effective at blocking out the sun's harmful rays.

Almost all of this radiation from the sun is not visible to the human naked eye. The fact that the radiation is mostly invisible is likely the reason why the sun can be so harmful. It's hard to convince a person to protect against something that can not be seen.

When the ASTM D13.65 committee was created for the addendum to sun-protective fabrics in 1996, a number of textile manufacturers and light and laser specialists invested about 5 years in planning the testing protocol.

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