WHAT IS UPF

FLOW SKINS SUN PROTECTION BASICS – UNDERSTANDING SUN PROTECTION CLOTHING

Sunlight includes rays of invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and overexposure to UV rays can lead to sunburn, accelerated skin aging and skin cancer. Sunscreen and your clothing offer the main forms of significant UV protection.

All fabrics disrupt UV radiation to some degree. Clothing that does the best job carries an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) value. UPF ratings range from 15 (good) to 50+ (excellent).

People spending extended time at high elevation, in equatorial regions or on reflective surfaces (such as snow or water) have an elevated need for UPF-rated clothing.

UPF & SKIN TYPES

Q: What is UPF?

A: Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) is a rating system used for apparel. It indicates how effectively fabrics shield skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays. The higher the UPF number, the greater degree of UV protection a garment offers.

UPF is similar to SPF (Sun Protection Factor), the rating system used for sunscreen products. UPF gauges a fabric’s effectiveness against both ultraviolet A (UVA) and UVB light. An SPF number pertains only to a sunscreen’s effectiveness against UVB rays, the sunburn-causing segment of the ultraviolet spectrum. Most sunscreens include ingredients that shield skin from UVA rays, but sunscreen makers have yet to agree on how to measure that protection.

Q: What is in sunlight that puts our skin at risk?

A: In addition to visible light and other spectrums, sunlight includes invisible ultraviolet radiation (UV-R). Overexposure to the UV spectrum has been linked to skin cancer, accelerating skin aging and sunburn.

Excessive UV radiation weakens the body’s immune system in addition to causing cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States—an estimated 1 million melanoma cases are diagnosed annually. The majority of skin cancer cases, up to 90%, are sun-related.

Many skin-care experts believe clothing shields skin more effectively from UV light than sunscreen. Key reasons: Many of us often apply sunscreen lotions too thinly, giving our skin less protection than the sunscreen’s available SPF rating, and we neglect to reapply it.

Q: How do I interpret UPF ratings?

A: UV-protection claims for clothing were first formalized in the 1990s in Australia, where skin cancer is a widespread concern. Researchers there developed the first fabric testing procedures for UV transmission and created a UPF rating system. Clothing manufacturers have since voluntarily adopted this system.

Basically, a UPF rating of 50 indicates the fabric of a garment will allow only 1/50th (roughly 2%) of available UV radiation to pass through it. A garment rated UPF 25 permits roughly 4% (1/25th) UV transmission.

The higher the number, the better the protection the fabric offers. Any fabric that allows less than 2% UV transmission is simply labeled UPF 50+.

All fabrics in some way impact the transmission of UV radiation. You may read that fabrics “absorb” UV rays, but that wording implies that fabrics somehow soak up UV radiation like a sponge. That’s not exactly the case. When ultraviolet radiation and textiles interact, the energy of UV rays is changed. UV radiation is converted to heat, a transformation that renders most rays harmless. Some garments, depending on factors such as construction, dyes and fabric treatments (explained later in this article), do a better job at this than others.