UV Safety Awareness Month: How Protective Clothing and Hats Can Shield Your Skin

July is UV Safety Awareness Month, a timely reminder that protecting your skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays is an important part of staying healthy year-round. While sunscreen is often the first thing people think of when planning time outdoors, clothing and hats are also powerful tools for reducing UV exposure—especially during long days outside spent hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, and other summer activities.

Why UV Protection Matters

UV rays can damage skin cells and contribute to skin cancer, sunburn, premature skin aging and eye damage. UV exposure can happen even on cloudy or cool days, and rays can reflect off surfaces such as water, sand, concrete and snow. That is why sun protection is not just a beach-day habit—it is a daily health habit.

Clothing Can Be Your First Line of Defense

When it comes to sun safety, the clothing you choose can make a big difference. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants, skirts, rash guards, and lightweight cover-ups help reduce the amount of skin exposed to UV rays. For the best protection, look for tightly woven fabrics and clothing labeled with an ultraviolet protection factor, or UPF. A higher UPF rating means the fabric is designed to block more UV radiation.

• Choose long sleeves and longer hemlines when practical.
• Look for UPF-rated clothing for extended outdoor time.
• Select tightly woven fabrics; if you can easily see light through the material, UV rays may pass through too.
• Remember that dry clothing generally protects better than wet clothing.
• Use sunscreen on any skin that clothing does not cover.

Consider a Wide Brimmed Hat

A wide-brimmed hat is one of the simplest ways to protect areas that get frequent sun exposure, including the face, ears, scalp, and back of the neck. Choose a hat with a brim that goes all the way around and is made from tightly woven fabric, such as canvas. Straw hats with visible holes may let sunlight through, and baseball caps leave the ears and neck exposed unless paired with sunscreen, shade, or additional clothing.

Make Sun-Safety Part of Your Routine

Sun protection works best when it is easy to remember. Keep sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt near the door or in your car, and pack UPF clothing for vacations and outdoor recreation days.

Children, older adults, people who work outdoors, and anyone with a history of skin cancer or sun sensitivity may need extra care when planning time in the sun.

Pair Clothing and Hats with Other Sun-Safe Habits

• Seek shade, especially when the sun’s rays are strongest during 10:00am-4:00pm.
• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen liberally with SPF 30 or higher.
• Reapply sunscreen as directed, especially after swimming or sweating.
• Wear sunglasses that block UVA and UVB rays.
• Check the daily UV Index before spending extended time outdoors.
• See your primary care provider or dermatologist for regular skin checks.

Don’t Hesitate to Call a Healthcare Professional

If you notice a new, changing, bleeding, or non-healing spot on your skin, it’s best to consult a healthcare professionals. Our primary care providers at St. Vincent Health can help, call 719-486-0230 to schedule an appointment.