(excerpt from Susan Carpenter, July 13/10 LA Times)
Built-in protection
Susan Carpenter
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The amount of clothing many of us wear in summer is, understandably, inverse to the temperature. Matters of decency aside, that might not be a problem if we wore enough sunscreen, but most don't. Just 18 percent of adults in the United States slather up before they go outdoors, according to a sunscreen study by Neutrogena this year, and just 48 percent reapply sunscreen when they are exercising or swimming outside, even though many dermatologists recommend reapplication every two hours.
What's more, skin cancer is on the rise. It increased 10 percent from 2007 to last year, according to the most recent survey of procedures from the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
"The best sunscreen of all is a hat and protective clothing and smart behavior," according to association president Jeffrey Dover. The problem, of course, is finding anything fashionable. Regular apparel doesn't offer the same sort of UV protection as purpose- built, sun-protective items. And, though a tightly woven textile in dark colors is better than a loose weave in a light color, few people wear black turtlenecks in the summer. Clothing that is truly sun protective is marked with UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor, labeling, which is similar to the SPF, or sun protection factor, ratings on sunscreens and describes how much UV radiation a fabric blocks.
Though sun-protective clothing still requires the use of some sunscreen, wearing it is easier than using an SPF lotion by itself. "Clothing is a high- compliance product," Barrow said. "You've got a much better chance of using clothing and a bit of sunscreen than all sunscreen."
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