The negative effects of ultraviolet rays, UVR is well known. The consequences of being exposed to excessive sunlight unprotected may range from a simple sunburn to skin cancer, melanoma. For a light skinned person sunburn may happen in less than 15 minutes of midday exposure. That is why it is important to protect our skin properly from direct sunlight.

There are some rules that will protect us from sunburn. First, we should avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day, from 11 to 3. Shad must be sought, but we must remember that sunburn can occur even in partial shade or even when it is cloudy. Sunburns occur faster in the water, sand, or in the snow because solar rays are reflected. In addition to having sunscreen, it is important to have clothing protection.

Different clothes offer a different degree of protection. The degree of clothing protection is measured in UPF, ultraviolet protection factor. A fabric with a UPF of 20 allows 120th of UVR to pass through it that would be five percent. A UPF of 50 will only allow two percent 150th to pass through. A UPF factor that is under 15 should not be considered protective. There is specially designed protective clothing that indicates the level of protection. The clothing protection of usual clothes can't be totally standardized, but there are some tips.

The least sun protection is offered by open materials, such as cheesecloth, sarong fabrics, and hosiery samples. Higher protection is offered by such fabrics as nylon, nylon/lycra, and polyester/lycra. The highest protection is given by polyamide. The thicker the fabric is the more protective it is.

The color also influences the clothing protection level. The lowest UVR protection is offered by light colors such as cream and off white, which is white, mixed with another color. Snow white fabrics usually offer a high level of protection because they are often treated with fluorescent agents. Dark colored clothes offer the highest level of protection. But, the color alone can't determine the clothing protection level.

Another important thing to know is that wet clothes lose up to 50 percent of their initial UPF. We must also know that stretched and tight fitting clothes are less protective than the loose fitting ones. An easy way to treat a fabric is to hold it up to the light and see how much light passes through it. Our clothing on sunny days must cover as much of the skin's surface as possible. The ideal outfit would include long sleeved garments with a collar, long pants, or skirt, close shoes and socks, and wide-brimmed hats.

Hats with brims of four inches will cover the neck, ears, eyes, and scalp. Sunglasses are also important in order to protect our eyes. The proper clothing protection is especially important for children because they don't understand the risks of sun exposure and ignore their parent's recommendation to get in the shade. Even if the usual summer clothing can't offer the necessary sun protection, combined with other protective actions, such as avoiding exposure to the sun in the hottest hours and using sunscreen, they can save our skin from sunburns.