UV Protection Clothing

All clothing protects the skin from the sun’s harmful rays, but some clothing does a better job of protecting the skin than others. UV protective clothing carries a Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF rating from 15 to 50+. These protection factors are relatively the same as SPF factors on sun blocks. UV protective clothing is appropriate for those who are sensitive to the sun or fair skinned, children and those who work out of doors in an area near the equator or where there is a high level of reflective material like water or snow. There are several factors that contribute to how sun protective clothing works.

Material

The material that a garment is made from significantly impacts how well it works as a sun protectant. Sun protected clothing is made of dense fabric. This means that the fabric is woven from fibers that cling closely together to minimize the spaces between fibers and prevent the sun from penetrating the fabric.

Dye

It is widely believed that a garment's color effects its ability to repel harmful sunlight but this is not true. It is actually the dye type used. Good sun protective garments are made from dyes that reflect or disrupt UV light, not that absorb them.

Testing

Before being released for public consumption, all UV protective garments are tested and rated by the American Association of Textile Chemists and colorists. There is a certain set of guidelines they must adhere to for the garment to get considered a protective piece of clothing.

UV protective garments are one of the best and most comfortable ways to prevent cancer, sunburn and sun related aging. Talk to your doctor about what level of UV protection is right for you.