Protecting Your Skin With Clothing

Whether you've had skin cancer or not, protecting your body is imperative - especially when you want to have fun outdoors. Luckily, there are quite a few options that don't include slathering yourself with creams and lotions. And while you still want to protect your hands, face, feet, and any exposed areas, these choices make it easier to enjoy a day at the beach or any other outdoor fun.

What are rash guards?

Chances are if you have been to any public beach you have probably seen someone wearing a rash guard. These are typically a shirt made out of a blend of polyester, nylon, lycra or spandex for stretch, breathability, and quick-drying properties. While they are called rash guards because they protect the skin against chafing, they also help protect the skin from sunburns.

Originally created in Australia, rash guards also protect the skin by forming a barrier from ultraviolet rays. While it doesn't protect you 100 percent, it does help while giving you the freedom to move about freely. And since it helps against chafing, jellyfish stings, and things like that, it's a multi-purpose item of clothing that comes in an array of styles and colors to fit any person's preference.

SPF clothing

Some clothing is also resistant to UV rays. In fact, one retailer states that they are UPF, not SPF. This is because when you are talking about lotions and creams, SPF stands for sun protection factor. Instead, UPF is a broad-spectrum UVA and UVB measure for fabric, and it rates the amount of UV radiation that penetrates a fabric and reaches the skin. How this works is to say that a piece of fabric is a UPF 60. This means that it only lets 1/60th of the UV radiation falling on the surface of the garment to pass through it.

These are more than swimwear. You'll find shirts, pants, skirts, hats, and more so that they are not just for the beach but for everyday wear.

What's the verdict?

Both SPF clothing and rash guards help prevent you from burning from the sun. While they won't block all of the sun's rays and you still have to worry about exposed areas, these are an excellent way of stopping some of it. Not to mention that while you still should use protection on your skin, you won't have to keep putting it on over and over underneath the clothing.

These clothing ideas are great for children and adults and work well to keep you comfortable, look stylish, and provide an extra layer of defense.