Sun Protection: 3 Things to Take on Your Summer Vacation
Sun Protection: 3 Things to Take on Your Summer Vacation Author: Lynn Rose
SUN PROTECTION: 3 THINGS TO TAKE
ON YOUR SUMMER VACATION
Packing for a trip is always exciting. Youre not quite where youre going but your close enough to where you know it will soon be a reality.
So you take out all the fun stuff first. You think about the weather. Itll probably be warm, if not hot. But it could be overcast.
Either way, even if you forget everything else, the 3 things you need no matter what:
- A broad-based sunscreen. But what does that mean?
Ans. It means it blocks you from UVA as well as UVB rays. It didnt
used to be this way. Not long ago, most companies made it to
protect you from UVB rays, but not UVA which can go deeper
and put you more at risk for skin cancer than UVB.
- A hat. You mean a baseball cap? Or a visor?
Ans. Neither. A visor doesnt protect the top of your head and many
skin cancers start on top of the head. A baseball cap doesnt cover
the side of your face or your neck.
The key is to get a UV hat which means just by wearing it it blocks
these rays. But that doesnt mean you can forget the sunscreen.
You still need it on your face, nose, neck, ears and the top of your
head in case you decide to remove that hat for a few minutes.
- Shade. You mean I should sit under a tree?
Ans. If you can sit under a tree during all your summer activities,
that could be the right answer. But most of us arent going to
do that.
There are two choices here. (1) Sun protective clothing with a
hood, or (2) A UV Umbrella. Theyre usually not big and clunky
like a rain umbrella and theyre going to cover from your head
to your shoulders.
All of these methods are good; none are fullproof.
Always take into consideration that the suns rays reflect up from concrete, snow and water.
Is it worth it? You decide.
LYNN ROSE lost her husband, Jerry, to skin cancer. Her mission is to educate others about the suns damaging rays, and to design and
manufacture attractive UV Hats and UV Umbrellas. Her umbrellas have
been seen in the hands of actress, Cate Blanchett, and also in the L.A.
Sunday Times Travel Section.