All about sun protection
With our UV protection summary we want to give you a piece of independence. So that you can realistically assess the risks of UV radiation and protect yourself optimally.
What are the advantages of UV protective clothing?
- Immediate protection as soon as you put the garment(s) on
- Safe, active protection outdoors and in water
- Proper protection for the entire time you wear the garment(s)
- Comfortable protection due to the very light fabrics
- Sustainable protection due to e.g. using less sun cream.
These advantages are fully covered by the textile sun protection produced by hyphen, which is certified to the UV STANDARD 801. This guarantees the protective effectiveness of the garment whilst in use, or whilst stretched or wet. > discover why this certification is so persuasive
Discover our UV protective clothingFor BabiesFor Kids
Why is a cream / lotion insufficient as sun protection?
The sun protection factor (SPF) lets you know how much longer you can stay in the sun without any adverse effects once you have applied the sun cream. You need to be careful here as the sun protection factor is relevant only under specific conditions.
The sun cream has to be applied at least half an hour before you go out into the sun, and needs to be reapplied many times during the day, even with waterproof creams. In addition, a sufficient amount needs to be applied: normally this means 2 mg per cm2 for the full effectiveness to be reached. As a rule of thumb, a coffee spoonful would be enough for your face.
Everything you need to know about sun cream and its use is set out in an article in Fit for Fun which really gets to the point > read the full article
Why is sun protection so important for babies and toddlers?
Babies and toddlers should not be in the sun at all! Their own skin protection mechanism still needs to develop: new born babies, for example, have absolutely no protection against UV radiation.
Why is sun protection important for children and adolescents?
Children and adolescents are particularly at risk due to lower self-protection of the skin and it is known that 50 - 80% of UV radiation is experienced by humans during childhood. The damage adds up and shows up 20 - 30 years later. With every sunburn, the statistical risk of developing skin cancer as an adult increases.
Therefore, safe UV protection for children is particularly important and sustainable. Up to 8 hours pass between the time of the "radiation overdose" and the appearance of the sunburn. What you don't see is that DNA damage to the cells may have already taken place before the first reddening of the skin.
Some key points about UV radiation
- Your personal protection limit varies depending on the intensity of the radiation, on your distance from the Equator, the time of year or day, weather and ray reflection, as well as the severity of the air pollution
- Around the Mediterranean, your personal protection limit is reduced by 30% and in the tropics by as much as 50%.
- UVB radiaition increases by 15% for every 1000 metres you climb.
- A good half of the UV radiation reaching us occurs around midday, in the hours from 11.00 to 15.00.
- Even on a cloudy day, 50 - 80% of the UV radiation will reach you at ground level.
- In a water depth of one metre, 50 – 75% of the surface UV radiation is measurable.
- Water and sand reflect UV radiation more strongly than e.g. a field. This means that the shade from a parasol / beach umbrella does not guarantee a UV radiation free zone.
- Windows, or the side windows in automobiles, often have no UVA or UVB filters.
Vitamin D and sun protection?
Our body produces around 80 per cent of the vitamin D it needs itself. To do this, it uses the UV rays of the sun - but not the UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer, but the so-called UVB rays. All you need to do is regularly expose yourself to the sun in the shade or when the sky is overcast. Recent studies have found no risk of vitamin D deficiency among sun-sensitive people who frequently apply sunscreen.
Why textile sun protection is better for the environment?
Wearing hyphen textile sun protection not only protects you from skin cancer, but also has a positive environmental impact, because you are saving the planet from the effects of many litres of sun cream, as well as from the plastic packaging. If you reduce the use of sun cream on your face and hands when swimming or taking part in watersports, you can help improve water quality.
This is how badly sun cream affects coral reefs
> Focus article
> Prowildlife report