Everything you need to know about UPF sun protection

The wearing of dark-colored, long-sleeved shirts in the midst of North Carolina's sweltering summers was strongly encouraged by my great-grandmother. She always responded the same way whenever I questioned her about why she was wearing that gardening attire on a 95-degree day: "What keeps out the cold will keep out the sun."

Her ancestors' knowledge was accurate. People's skin issues, such as wrinkles, sunburns, irritated skin, and some types of cancer, are thought to be largely attributed to ultraviolet radiation, whose main source is the sun. In the past, people discovered techniques to shield themselves from the sun. Native Alaskans made snow goggles out of wood or bone to shield their eyes from UV rays that were reflected off the snow. Thanaka, a paste made from crushed tree bark, is still utilized in Myanmar.

Today, sunscreens and UPF materials are the two main types of sun protection available to consumers. According to Travis W. Blalock, an associate professor of dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine, the second is created using "various weaving techniques, dyes, and photo-protecting chemicals to impede ultraviolet light from penetrating through the fabric and damaging the skin."

UPF is essentially a rating given to apparel and other materials that are especially made to filter UV rays from reaching the skin. Even a simple white t-shirt offers a UPF rating of around 5, which isn't much but is better than your birthday suit, claims outdoor retailer REI.

Shadi Kourosh, the director of community health for the department of dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains that while SPF and UPF products will protect your skin from the sun, their levels of protection are not calculated in the same way. The SPF rating of a product is determined by how much longer a person can stay in the sun with sunscreen on compared to without it before their skin begins to turn red. For instance, properly applied SPF 30 would allow someone to remain outside for 30 times longer if they can only be in the sun for 30 minutes before they start to burn.

UPF ratings, in contrast, are determined by the proportion of UV rays that pass through the material. A shirt with a UPF 50 rating is said to shield the skin from ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation by 98%. (SPF solely assesses UVB ray protection.) Products with official UPF ratings range from 15 to 50+.

I questioned Kourosh and Blalock about the advantages of UPF, how to determine whether a product will provide excellent sun protection, and whether SPF ratings are a useful tool for determining the appropriate degree of protection. For clarity, both interviews have been trimmed and shortened.

Does UPF clothes and equipment work as well as sunscreen?

Blalock: The UPF is only one part of skin protection against UV light's damaging effects. It does a fantastic job of shielding the skin that it covers, but I advise wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to cover any exposed skin. I am well aware of the advantages of UPF gear as a parent and doctor since it is permanent and does not wash off while swimming. After a certain amount of time has passed, sunscreen must be reapplied, and if it is not applied evenly, certain regions may be missed.

Kourosh: If you're out in the sun for a long enough period of time, even if you're wearing UPF clothing that blocks 99 percent of the sun's rays, some of them may still get through. The proportion of body surface area covered by a garment and the garment's weight are two topics that are debated in the medical world, particularly among dermatologists. Therefore, it depends on how well the cloth blocks the light and how much of the body it covers. Additionally, there are additional elements that influence its efficacy, such as the need for loose rather than tight clothes and the avoidance of moisture.

SPF is therefore the better option amongst the two.

Blalock: Due to the fact that SPF and UPF concentrate on various facets of photoprotection, I don't normally consider SPF to be superior. These ideas and metrics, in my opinion, should not be compared but rather used in conjunction. However, it is generally accepted that UPF garments may filter off UVA more efficiently than certain sunscreens in practical terms.

How is the UPF rating established?

Kourosh: Although national and international health organizations like the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration advocate UPF as one of the cornerstones of sun prediction, there is no universal consensus. The greatest in creating rules and regulations as well as having authorities to enforce them are Australia and New Zealand. However, it isn't enforced in the US, so that's another strong reason to choose the highest level of protection—it provides you the best chance of receiving the defense you're hoping for. A protection rating method that accounts for the fraction of rays that pass through the cloth is also used in Australia and New Zealand.

What level of sun protection is ideal, then?

Kourosh: The protection we receive from either rating is typically less than we anticipate. The calculation of SPF or UPF protection is based on ideal lab conditions. We're probably spending more time outside or in places where the sun is shining really brightly, like the beach. Therefore, we cannot presume that the testing's environmental factors mirror what we experience in the actual world. This is why I advise consumers to purchase a product at its highest level.

Blalock: Beginning with the knowledge that we are aware of the damaging effects of the sun on your skin, I provide patients general guidance. Sunburns, skin cancer risk, and the onset of wrinkles and other indications of age are all accelerated by ultraviolet radiation. As a result, the better informed you are, the more probable it is that you will choose wisely to protect your skin. I advise choosing sun protection that you are prepared to use often. Unused sunscreens and UPF garments do not protect the skin.

How can consumers verify the legitimacy of the UPF items they own?

Blalock: The simplest method for customers to find out is to buy from a supplier that prominently displays a UPF classification on the label. Although dark or brightly colored clothes, tightly woven materials, and loose-fitting garments are better in blocking UV radiation from reaching the skin, there are no reliable means for the customer to know this unless they are labeled as having a proven UPF. Companies that use this mark on their apparel frequently conduct laboratory tests to gauge the effectiveness of their sun-protective features. For consumers, a lot of the guessing is eliminated by this.

When should individuals use or wear UPF gear?

Blalock: When exposure to the sun is anticipated to be excessive, it is advisable to minimize UV damage to your skin. You may check your local weather report for the UV index, or you can simply be mindful that the most exposed hours are usually from mid-morning about 9 am to late afternoon around 4 pm. Outside of these periods, there are little drawbacks to wearing or utilizing sun protection. Thankfully, UPF gear has gotten more popular and stylish, so perhaps we'll see more people wearing it constantly.

What types of activities benefit most from UPF?

Blalock: The requirement for reapplication of sunscreen is the major worry I hear about it the most. That could be typical when people concentrate on their particular interests, such as ocean swimming, participating in sports, or even taking a lengthy trek. Wearing UPF apparel that is both comfortable and not oppressively so allows you to participate in worthwhile activities without worrying about the need to reapply sunscreen.