Supporting Materials and Information

In this section:

Don't forget your hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen

Hats and clothing for sun protection
To prevent skin damage and wrinkles you need to dress carefully before going out in the summer sun. The parts of the body that people often leave exposed to the full force of the sun's rays are the face, neck, arms and legs. Research shows, not surprisingly, the face is burned more often than any other part of the body. People also suffer more burns on their legs, arms and shoulders than anywhere else on the body. These are also the places where people most commonly develop melanoma and other skin cancers. Before you go out in the sun, make sure you have clothing and a hat to protect your face, ears, nose, shoulders, trunk, arms and legs. Just as important, check that any children you are caring for are SunSmart and “Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen, Slap on a hat and Wrap on some sunglasses”.

Effective UV Protection Clothing
Most fabrics will give some protection from the sun, but there are basic guidelines for choosing the best type of fabric.

• Weave: The weave is most important, and tightly woven fabrics are better than loosely woven ones.
  
  
• Colour: Darker fabrics give better protection than light-coloured ones.
  
  
• Weight: A less important factor, though heavier fabrics let less UV radiation (UVR) through. But lightweight, tightly woven fabrics can provide good protection.
  
  
• Stretch: Most woven fabrics don't stretch much, but ones which do stretch will offer less sun protection.
  
  
• Wetness: Wet fabrics may only give half as much sun protection as when they are dry. Clothing that has met this standard will carry a label which will indicate its Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF).

UPF Rated Fabric: There is a sun protective clothing standard known as AS/NZS4399:1996, which has voluntary compliance in this country. UPF15 to 24 is rated as good protection, UPF25 to 39 is rated as very good protection and UPF40 to 50+ is rated as excellent protection.

Don't forget your hat

Cancer Society surveys show that more people get sunburned around the head and face than any other part of the body. The best way to avoid a sunburned face if you are outdoors in summer is to wear a wide-brimmed hat. You also need sunscreen for your face and neck, applied thickly, before you go out in the sun. Unfortunately, sunscreen will wear off and sweat off. Many who use sunscreen get burned, probably because they rely on it too much and use too little of it.

Choosing good hats
When choosing hats:

• Make sure the hat is made of a tightly woven fabric which doesn't let the sun's rays through
• Choose a hat which shades your face, nose, neck and ears
• Make sure it feels comfortable – cool, but firm around the headband
• A darker colour will keep out the sun's rays better
• You'll need a hat that stays on in the wind
• A brimmed hat or cap with flaps offers the best protection
• If you wear a cap, protect the ears and neck – with hair, collar, bandana or sunscreen
• Safety – make sure you can see under and around the brim
• The occasion dictates the style of hat – you may need more than one.
• Look for a deep crown broad-brim hat, with a minimum brim of 6cm
• Lastly, make your hat a fun part of summer, and choose something which you like and feel good wearing!

Sunglasses

Your eyes and the sensitive skin around them can be damaged if exposed to too much sunlight. While cancer of the eye is rare, basal cell carcinoma of the surrounding skin is relatively common. In addition, UV radiation (UVR) is associated with cataracts and a condition known as pterygium. It can cause the short-term condition known as snow-blindness, which can follow a day’s skiing without wearing appropriate eye protection. A wide-brimmed hat can reduce UVR to the eyes by up to half, but good quality sunglasses provide considerably more protection. Ideally, the lenses should cut out 100 percent of UVR, but it is not just the lenses which provide protection.

The shape of the glasses is also an important factor. Up to 35 percent of UVR can come around the edges of ordinary spectacle frames. The glasses should be close-fitting and with large lenses. And the best protection is provided by wrap-around styles.

It is important to avoid small-lens ‘John Lennon’ type glasses because they offer less protection.

Children and sunglasses
There is no agreement among ophthalmologists over whether children should wear sunglasses. On the one hand, there is evidence that overexposure to UVR early in life can cause a predisposition to eye problems later on. However, it appears that children also need some exposure to UVR in order to develop protection against eye problems. Around highly reflective surfaces (water, sand and snow) sunglasses should be worn if practical. A legionnaire, broad-brimmed or bucket (minimum 6 cm brim) hat provides significant protection for the eyes, and children should be encouraged to wear one while playing outside. If sunglasses are worn, they should conform to the AS/NZS1067: 2003 sunglass standard.

Standards for sunglasses
A revised version of the joint Australia/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS1067 was published in 2003. The Cancer Society recommends buying sunglasses which conform to this standard. Check the label for compliance.
The new standard divides sunglasses into five categories.

• Lens categories and descriptions
• Lens Additional required category
• Description warning
• Fashion spectacles: providing some protection from UVR, but no reduction of sun glare.

Other things to note:

1. Fashion spectacles: providing protection from UVR Not suitable for driving and limited reduction of sun glare. at night.
2. Sunglasses for general use: providing good protection
   from UVR and sun glare.
3. Sunglasses providing extra protection from UVR
   and sun glare.
4. Sunglasses providing a high level of protection from UVR Must not be used when driving.

Wear sunglasses that are close-fitting and wrap-around and conform to the AS/NZ1067:2003 sunglass standard.

Sunscreen

Behaviours for Sunscreen Safety

• No sunscreen will completely shield you from the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR). You can still burn, especially if you have sensitive skin.
• Use additional forms of sun protection: avoid the sun from 11 am to 4 pm during daylight saving months; wear a hat and clothing; wear sunglasses and stay in the shade if you can.
• Using an SPF30+ (or any sunscreen) should not be used to increase the amount of time you spend in the sun.
• Whatever the SPF, apply adequate amounts of broad spectrum sunscreen 15 minutes before going outside, and then again immediately before going outside, and re-apply regularly, especially if swimming or sweating a lot.

How much protection
The protection a sunscreen offers is affected by its sun protection factor (SPF) rating, how well and how thickly you apply it and how long is spent in the sun. It is also affected by skin type, when the sunscreen is applied, the time of day, time of year and weather. No matter how high the SPF rating, no sunscreen can block out all UVR. All sunscreens are filters allowing some UVR through to the skin. The higher the SPF, the smaller the amount of UVR that gets through. The longer the time spent in the sun, the more the UVR accumulates until enough UVR is absorbed to cause burning. Sunscreen’s protectiveness is not affected by the length of time it has been on the skin, but it is affected by ‘wear and tear’ over time. Even if you’re not very active, sunscreen can rub off gradually and, therefore, needs to be re-applied regularly to top it up. This applies particularly to children because of their active lifestyle.

• SPF
  The SPF number is a ranking system that shows how much protection is being offered. The higher the number, the more UVR filtered and the greater the protection. Because of the number of factors involved, (eg time of the year, time of day and skin type) the SPF is not precise, but gives a general guide to sun protection.
  
  
• SPF15 and 30+
  An SPF15 sunscreen applied correctly should protect from sunburn for approximately two to three hours, depending on skin type. An SPF30+ rather than SPF15 halves the risk of sunburn for the same length of time in the sun. The highest rating a sunscreen can claim is SPF30+, broad spectrum under the Australia/NZ AS/NZS2604 sunscreen standard.
  
  
• Broad spectrum
  A broad spectrum sunscreen gives extra protection because it screens out much of the UVA shorter wave length radiation as well as UVB.
  
  
• Water resistance
  A water resistance claim of two hours means the sunscreen should retain its full SPF protection even after two hours in the water. However, it is wise to re-apply sunscreen after any water sports.
  
  
• Applying sunscreen
  Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure to allow it time to dry and be absorbed into the skin. Spread it on to exposed skin thickly and evenly. If it’s put on too thinly the protection is lessened and it won’t work as well.
  
  
• Re-applying sunscreen
  Sunscreens need re-applying to remain protective. However, re-applying sunscreen does not reduce UVR already received.

Sunscreen use should not be promoted as the sole or even the primary line of protection against the sun, but as a complementary measure to other sun safety behaviours

• Reduce sun exposure
  UVR accumulates and can damage the skin even when you’re wearing a sunscreen and before burning is visible. Reduce your daily sun exposure as much as possible and in particular avoid the sun (even if using a sunscreen) between 11am – 4pm during daylight saving months. Sunscreens should not be used to increase the amount of time spent in the sun.
  
  It slows down further UVR accumulation and if burning has already occurred, it will only lessen the severity of further burning. Re-apply sunscreen every hour or more if you are swimming or sweating a lot.