Download Protective Clothing - Jennifer Linder, MD

Jennifer Linder, M.D. PLLC
Cynthia Price, M.D.
Linder Dermatology & Skin Cancer Surgery Center
6710 East Camelback Road, Ste 220 Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480.946.7939 Fax 480.946.5258
[email protected] www.linderdermatology.com
Sun Protective Clothing: Protect Yourself from the Arizona Sun Year Round
Clothing is the single most effective form of sun protection. It is our first line of defense against the sun’s
harmful ultraviolet rays.
Ultraviolet Protect Factor (UPF) is what many manufacturers today identify their sun-protective garments
with. It indicates what fraction of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can penetrate the fabric. A shirt with a UPF of
50, for example, lets just 1/50th of the sun’s UVR reach the skin, compared to an everyday white cotton tshirt, which has a UPF of about 5.
You can increase your clothes’ UPF by washing a laundry additive like Sun Guard’s Rit into them. The
product’s active ingredient, the sunscreen Tinosorbe, increased the clothes’ sun-protective abilities for up
to 20 washings. (A laundry additive can raise the UPF of an everyday white cotton t-shirt to about 30).
These may be found on amazon.com for $14.99 for 6 (1oz packets).
You probably already own many garments that provide good sun protection. Here are some helpful hints:
- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
- Choose clothes in bright or dark colors (ie. red or black).
- Look for synthetic fibers (polyester).
- On cooler days, go for tightly woven or closely knitted fabrics.
Hat, clothing, and sunglasses manufacturers that currently hold the Seal of Recommendation include:
- Boy Scouts of America
- Sun Guard
- Columbia Sportswear
- Whitworth Hats
- Collibou
- Soumbra
- Coppertone Lenses
- Physician Endorsed
- Eagle Vision
- Sun Day Afternoons
- O’Neill Wetsuits
- Solumbra
- Quicksilver/ Roxy
- Heliocare Sun Tablets (Oral Sunscreen)
- Simms Fishing
(heliocare.com; take one tablet a day)
Local Stores:
- Sport Chalet
- Costco
- Big 5 Sporting Goods
- Sports Authority
- Target
- REI
Helpful Websites to purchase more stylish clothing include:
- bloquv.com
- luluemon.com
- coolibar.com
- LLBean.com
- landsend.com
- cutterbuck.com