In the Sun, Not All Clothing Is Equal

Most travelers headed to sunny climes know they should pack sunscreen. But fewer will evaluate which of their garments offer maximum protection against sunburn and skin cancer.

Experts say they should, because clothing’s ultraviolet protection varies, depending on the weave and color of the fabric and whether it has been specially treated to shield the wearer from the sun’s rays. Sometimes the protection is negligible, and sometimes it rivals that of a maximum-SPF sunscreen.

About 53,600 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States, the American Cancer Society says, and 7,400 people will die of it. About 1.3 million others will develop non-melanoma skin cancers, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. While the non-melanoma cancers are highly curable, 2,200 people will die of them in the U.S. this year.

So who needs what level of protection from clothing?

Travelers with a history of skin cancer should consider UV-protective clothing, even though it can be expensive, says Dr. Warwick Morison, professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Those at high risk for skin cancer--fair-skinned persons who have skin that always burns, never tans--and those who develop rashes from exposure to the sun should also consider special clothing, he says.

Several manufacturers produce the sun-protective clothing, which includes pants, shirts, hats and other gear. For instance, Sun Precautions, (800) 882-7860, www.solumbra.com, offers a classic polo for $59.95, an athletic shirt for $79.95. SunGrubbies, (888) 970-1600, www.sungrubbies.com, has a children’s water shirt for $26.95 and a women’s travel shirt for $54.95. Sun Protective Clothing, (800) 353-8778, www.sunprotectiveclothing.com, sells men’s pants for $44.50 and a child/youth flip cap for $16.90. The fabrics vary, but generally they promise to block 95% or more of harmful UV rays.

A fabric’s degree of protectiveness is known as its UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency has established UPF standards and correlated them with the percent of radiation blocked. It stipulates that a UPF of 20 blocks 95% of UV radiation; a UPF of 50 blocks 98%.

The Skin Cancer Foundation rates a UPF of 15 to 29 as providing good protection, 30 to 49 as very good, and 50 and above as excellent, says Jasmine Melzer, a foundation spokeswoman.

A less expensive alternative to sun-protective clothing is laundry additives that wash in UV protection. Rit Sun Guard, manufactured by Unilever Bestfoods, has received the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation, which is given to products that meet the foundation’s safety and efficacy criteria and that help prevent sun-induced skin damage.

Sun Guard provides protection for up to 20 washings, the manufacturer says, and it works whether the clothing is wet or dry. It may be available at local chain stores (go to www.ritdye.com/sunguard to find out where to buy the product); it can also be purchased online. Six 1-ounce packets cost about $18, and a packet treats one wash load.

In a study of UV-absorbing agents, published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers found that one washing with Sun Guard increased the UPF of a white T-shirt from 4.94 to 10.9. Five Sun Guard treatments boosted the T-shirt’s UPF to 23. Dyeing the shirt yellow increased its UPF to more than 18, and dyeing it blue raised that number to 38.

Choosing clothing carefully from an ordinary wardrobe can help too. If you can’t see through the material, its UV protection factor probably is high, says Morison of Johns Hopkins. The closer the weave and the darker the color, the better; bluejeans, for instance, are very protective.

Fabrics to avoid in the sun, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, are polyester crepe, bleached cotton and viscose, which are transparent to UV. Unbleached cotton, high-luster polyesters and thin, satiny silk can all be highly sun protective because they reflect radiation.

Morison says that many people forget the need for sun-protective hats and for sunglasses to protect the eyes from UV rays.

For more information, see the Skin Cancer Foundation’s site, www.skincancer.org, or call the foundation at (800) SKIN-490 (754-6490).

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Healthy Traveler appears twice a month. The writer can be reached at kathleendoheny@earthlink.net.