skin protection

Spotlight on Skin: Six Ways to Protect Yours Now

Now that summer’s almost here, you’ll need to protect your skin. Go beyond simple sunscreen this year. And by the way, if you’re behind glass, you’re not protected from harmful UV radiation! That’s right, ultraviolet radiation is harmful to your skin even if you’re indoors.

Clothing with Built-In Sun Protection

Did you know that there is now clothing with built-in protection? REI has a very thorough article on the benefits of sun-protective clothing. It’s an easy and modern way to increase your protection when you have to be in the sun. By the way, we have no affiliation.

“Slip! Slop! Slap!^®… and Wrap”

We really like this way to remember how to prevent skin cancer, from the American Cancer Society. It’s a handy way to remember what to do:

Slip on a shirt.
Slop on sunscreen.
Slap on a hat.
Wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and sensitive skin around them.

Shade Sails

People, being the ingenious creatures we are, have come up with clever ways to protect ourselves from bright sun. If you spend time outdoors on your patio or deck, do a search on Amazon and you’ll find some attractive and inexpensive shade sails. We’ve even seen them at Costco!

Ask the Experts

Who better than OSHA to ask about how to protect yourself from the sun? Their advice includes covering up, wearing sunscreen, and wearing UV-absorbent shades. If you’d rather ask Bigfoot about sun protection, he’s got an opinion, too.

Window Film: Our Favorite!

You might not remember to slather on sunscreen when you’re inside your home. Window film is sunscreen for your home or business’ windows.

What Did We Leave Out?

If you have a favorite way of protecting your skin, we’d love to hear from you.

You might think that window film is only aesthetic: it makes your car or building look snazzy and reduces glare while you’re driving or seated near a window. But did you know that window film also protects your skin? Here are a few ways it can protect your epidermis.

Ultra Violet Radiation

Ultra violet (“UV”) radiation travels through both your home and car windows, and can damage your skin. Some people think that glass protects them from UV rays, but only car windshields block UVA and UVB rays. On the side and rear car windows, most UVA is not blocked, as explained in this article from the Melanoma Education Foundation. Window film blocks this dangerous radiation, protecting your skin.

Ultraviolet-A Rays Penetrating the Atmosphere

Left-Side Cancer

Drivers with left-hand drive develop more skin damage and cancer. Even with the windows up, UV radiation gets in and hits your skin, causing more damage to the left side than to the right. “Long-time drivers are found to have rougher, more pigmented skin with greater solar damage on their driver’s side,” noted Albert Kligman, MD, PhD, emeritus professor of dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, according to a post from the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website. In countries where drivers sit on the right side, there is more right-side cancer.

Long-Wave UVA Rays

Most car windows offer little to no protection from the long-wave UVA rays that can cause serious damage to your skin. Sometimes the front windshield can offer a little, as mentioned above, but nowhere near what you would get with window film. But window film blocks up to 99.9 percent of UV radiation.

Exposure to UV Radiation is Cumulative

Those UV rays are sneaky and the damage is cumulative. Even if you can’t see the damage with your eyes, the damage is occurring. Wrinkles, sun (or “liver”) spots, and cancer are three of the ways that your skin can be damaged. And it’s not always easy to remember to apply sunscreen or wear a hat, so window film protects you even when you’re not thinking about protecting your own skin.

Window Film Can Help Prevent Skin Damage

In addition to wearing sunscreen, avoiding the sun between 10:00 and 2:00 (according to the Mayo Clinic) and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, window film is one of the best investments you can make to prevent skin damage. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends window tint as part of a comprehensive skin care program.

Need Help Deciding Which Window Film Is Best?

Give Window Works a call to see which window film would be best for either your car or your building. We are located in Santa Clara, near the San Jose Airport, and our crew travels throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.