Protect Yourself from the Sun! By Wes Bolyard

Last week, I was playing golf with some friends and noticed that one of them had on “long sleeves”. As it was beginning to get hot, I asked him why the long sleeves? He surprised me by showing me that they were really “dickeys” for the arms. The sleeve had a sweatshirt-type cuff at the bottom and an elastic band at the top to hold it above the elbow. The material is 50% cotton and 50% polyester, which gives sun protection on your lower arm while wearing your favorite golf shirt. I decided to look into this as we all need to protect ourselves from the sun's rays. I found out that they are called Sun Sleeves and had been around for 18 years. They are easy to order on the website ( www.sunlseeves.com ) and not expensive. While wearing them, you still get to wear all your golf shirts you have accumulated and get the sun protection you need. You could even use them for protection from the sun's rays while driving to some far away golf destination. This got me to thinking about the sun protection we need while living in the Valley of the Sun, where the UV rays are very damaging.

Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR) is divided into 3 types of radiation, UVA, UVB, and UVC. Virtually all the UVC is filtered out by the ozone layer, but the other two reach earth in significant amounts. UVB is “stronger” than UVA having a greater ability to cause skin damage. There is, however, about 100 times as much UVA as UVB so despite being weaker, UVA is still dangerous and also penetrates into the skin. The UVR intensity also varies with the season. UVR increases in the summer months and decreases in the winter. This is due to the lower angle of contact between the earth and the sun's radiation during the winter months. During the summer, when the sun is more directly overhead with a greater contact angle, the UVR has a shorter path to the earth's surface.

Some UVR facts: UVR is strongest between 10:00AM and 2:00PM; clouds filter some but not most of the UVR so it is still possible to get burned on a cloudy day; for every 1000 feet increase in altitude, the UVR increases by 4%.

The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) system was adopted in the U.S. in 1978. To establish an SPF, the minimal erythemal dose (MED) or how long it takes to get the skin red, is first determined. What this really means is the SPF value is the length of time an individual may be exposed to UV radiation when a sunscreen is applied, compared to when it is not. As an example, an SPF of 15 applied to an individual who would normally burn in 20 minutes will provide protection for roughly 300 minutes (SPF 15 x 20 minutes = 300 minutes).

Sunscreens are ingredients that, when applied topically, keep UVR from reaching your skin. They can work either by absorbing the UVR or by reflecting it. All sunscreens, regardless of the ingredients, MUST be applied PRIOR to exposure if they are to be maximally effective. Referring to our earlier example, if that same individual would expose themselves to the sun for 10 minutes before applying the sunscreen, they would have already received 50% of their MED. The SPF 15 sunscreen would now only provide 150 minutes of protection instead of the 300 minutes it could have. Sunscreens should be applied about 20 minutes before going out. This gives the sunscreen time to “set up” on your skin so that it can do its job.

An SPF 15 stops about 95% of the UVR and an SPF 30 blocks about 97%. When searching for a good sunscreen, one of two different ingredients should be part of the selection criteria: zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide. These ingredients help provide the broadest spectrum range of protection from UVR. One such sunblock lotion is Coppertone's Spectra 3, with an SPF of 50, and contains Zinc Oxide.

So remember, before heading out for that wonderful round of golf this summer, put on your sunscreen prior to leaving the house, get that wide brim hat, and try those Sun Sleeves.