The ozone layer is rapidly depleting around the earth, but it does not mean that you have to expose your skin to the sun’s harmful radiation.  Today we have the ability to create our own layer of protection against the sun’s UV rays, but we have to know how to do this in order to do it effectively.

sun protective swimwear and clothing hold the key to protecting our skin and lowering our risk of developing skin cancer.  The average piece of summer clothing offers as little as 5 UPF when it comes to Sun Protection Suits. This is simply not enough to replace the protection that was once offered by the ozone layer before pollution started causing it to fade.  The UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor, measures how well the suit protects against ultraviolet radiation. Higher numbers mean better protection against the sun.  A UPF of 50+ means that only 1/50th of the UVR that actually hits the surface of the suit will go through and touch the skin underneath.  Clothing with 50+ UPF offers the most protection currently available against the sun.

Choosing Kids Swimwear is very important because their skin has not yet grown as thick as the skin of an adult.  A child is far more prone to sunburn because of how delicate his or her skin is.  The risk of skin cancer increases every time you get a sunburn, and that increase is exponential with every sunburn you receive during childhood.  Remember that the more skin that is covered, the better your child's skin is protected from the sun. Also look for high UPF clothing that is made of very tightly woven fabric.  The tighter the fabric is woven, the better it will be at keeping the sun’s radiation away from the skin.  Also remember to look for darker colors when shopping because they provide more protection than pastels or other light shades.

Don’t forget sun protective swimwear  or caps as part of your children’s swimwear as well.  Adding a pair of sunglasses with EPF 10 also ensures that your children’s eyes are protected from ultraviolet radiation.

Skin cancer is the most preventable type of cancer, but you have to know how sun safety works in order to make effective choices.  Remember that preventing skin cancer starts when your children are small. If you teach them good sun protection habits now, then they are far less likely to suffer skin cancer during adulthood.