UV Protection

UV Protection, facts you need to know

Ultraviolet Rays (UV)

Travel the 93 million miles from the sun to the earth in just 8 minutes! The most dangerous type, UV-C, is stopped by stratospheric ozone, but UV-A and UV-B reach the earth - and your skin.
UV-A and -B travel easily through clouds and haze and reflect off water, sand and snow. Surprisingly, these rays even reach far below the surface of water.
UV-A penetrates deep into the body and becomes the culprit behind wrinkling and "leathering" when it hits your skin. UV-A can also damage cell leading to skin cancer.
UV-B is considered to be the main cause of skin cancer. UV-B is more potent than UV-A and is what causes sunburns.

UV Rays

UV Rays cannot be seen or felt directly. It does not produce heat. Instead, UV rays effects are felt in the long run by the damage UV-A and UV-B does by penetrating and changing the structure of skin cells. UV can go right through many types of clothing as well as automobile and residential windows.
Exposure comes not only directly from the sun, but also from reflected sources in the environment and the open sky. Therefore, it is important to take precautionary steps to prevent damage from UV rays.

The Effects of Long-Term UV exposure

- Skin Cancer (Basal, Squamous, and Melanoma)
- Premature Aging
- Wrinkles
- Dark patches (liver spots)
- Cataracts in the eyes

Sun Protection Factor (SPF)

Used primarily with sun screen, SPF measures the length of time skin is protected against sunburn from UV-B rays compared to unprotected skin. SPF is accurate only with proper application and re-application of the sunscreen. Insufficient application quantity, activity, swimming and other factors can impact the SPF of sunscreens.

Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UV Protection factor or UPF)

Ultraviolet Protection Factor (or UV Protection Factor) is similar to SPF (Sun Protection Factor). UV Protection Factor is applied to fabric rather than sunscreen. The table below shows the relative UV Protection from various UPF ratings.

UPF Ratings	UV Protection	UV Blocked
15, 20	Good	93.3% to 95.8%
25, 30, 35	Very Good	95.9% to 97.4%
40, 45, 50, 50+	Excellent	> &97.5%