Keep your clothes on!

by Jonathan Briggs, E.L.S.

Keep your clothes on! Sun exposure is directly related to skin cancer. Though sunscreen helps protect your skin, it can wear off. Even better is sun-protective clothing.

According to the American Cancer Society, most of the million-plus cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually in the United States are sun related. One way to protect yourself from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation is to use sunscreen, but clothing can give you UV protection with staying power.

When it comes to shielding you from UV, not all apparel is created equal. You need to know how to select a UV-safe wardrobe, whether it's from your closet or from specially made clothing.

Why do you need protection?

A new standard in sun protection

There are three ways to protect yourself from UV radiation: block it, absorb it, or reflect it away. Sunscreens primarily block or absorb UV radiation, but clothing can protect you all three ways. The fabric blocks, the color absorbs or reflects, and special chemical treatments also absorb UV radiation; some even convert it into harmless visible light. Unfortunately, there currently is no UV protection rating system for clothing similar to the familiar SPF system for sunscreens, although there will be soon.

Trade associations such as the American Sun Protection Association, and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) are in the process of developing testing and labeling standards for products ranging from sunglasses to serapes. These ratings will use the term UPF (ultraviolet protective factor) to describe a product's UV-stopping ability.

According to Harvey Shakowski of the AATCC, there will be several differences between the UPF ratings for clothing and the SPF system.

• Best case/worst case
• The SPF system is based on a best-case scenario--that you will follow the instructions and put the sunscreen on twenty minutes to a half-hour before you go out, that you will put plenty on, will not miss any spots, and that you will re-apply the product every two hours or if you get wet.
  On the other hand, UPF ratings will be based on a worst-case scenario and be done on items that have been washed and exposed to UV radiation and are both wet and dry.
• Relative protection
• The SPF system is relative--not everyone gets the same protection from a product with an SPF of 10. This is because SPF is based on the amount of time it would take for protected skin to burn compared to unprotected skin. For example, if you burn in 20 minutes with no protection, a sunscreen with an SPF of 10 will give you 200 minutes in the sun before you burn. Another person, who takes 40 minutes to burn without protection, would get 400 minutes of protection from the same SPF 10 sunscreen. To get 400 minutes of UV protection, a person who burns in 20 minutes with no protection would have to use a sunscreen with an SPF of 20. Finally, the SPF system is only approved by the FDA for rating sunscreens in terms of their ability to protect against UVB.
  UPF ratings, however, are not relative. They will be based on standardized measurements of a product's ability to block UV radiation. Whether you burn quickly or slowly will not be a determining factor in a product's UPF rating.
• Blocking, absorbing and transmitting
• While sunscreens are rated according to how well they block or absorb UV radiation, Shakowski says, "UPF is based on transmittance. That is, clothing and other products will be tested to determine how much UV, both A and B, they let through."

What to do until UPF ratings for clothing are available

Andrew Franklin of Mile High Textiles in Denver, Colorado gives these general rules for selecting clothes to keep out UV radiation:

• Tight weaves are better than loose weaves (if you can see through it, UV can get through it).
• Polyester is better than cotton.
• Dark colors are better than light colors.
• Dry clothing is better than wet clothing.

Obviously, dark, tightly woven polyester is not something you are likely to wear out in the hot sun. And if your clothing is so uncomfortable that you take it off, it doesn't matter how much protection it would have given you. Although some sun-protective clothing is already available, it is difficult to know what you are getting because testing and labeling standards are still being established.

Leslie Labhard of the Textile Research and Testing Lab at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California says, "high-tech sportswear and children's wear are the first products you are most likely to see UPF labels on." These products will be lightweight and cool, as well as UV protective. In the meantime, Labhard recommends using "garment design" to get UV protection. Her more practical suggestions include:

• Wear loose-fitting garments in light colors.
• Choose outfits with long sleeves and long pant legs and collars to get as much protection as possible.
• Always wear a hat, because your face and head get so much sun exposure.

For hats, Labhard suggests:

• A hat made with a light colored material on the outside to reflect UV radiation and keep you cooler, and a darker lining on the brim to prevent UV radiation from reflecting on your face
• A wide brim of at least three inches
• No hats or clothing made of netting, mesh or other loose weaves because they offer little or no UV protection

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