The sun is scorching! What does a "reliable" sun umbrella look like?

The summer is hot,

Couples often share an umbrella to protect themselves from the sun when they go out.

but,

Not all umbrellas qualify as sun protection umbrellas.

The umbrellas that many people use for sun protection are actually unreliable.

Instead, it will make you and your partner join hands

Black together.

What damage does ultraviolet light cause to the skin?

As we all know, sunscreen mainly protects against ultraviolet rays in sunlight. The ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight reaching the ground are mainly divided into long-wave ultraviolet rays (UVA) and medium-wave ultraviolet rays (UVB) .

UVB can cause sunburn, with symptoms such as redness, swelling, and blisters. In severe cases, it may lead to skin cancer.

UVA can cause skin tanning, photoaging and melanin deposition. Although the effect is slow, it will accumulate over a long period of time.

If the use of sunscreen and sunscreen spray is called "soft sun protection", "hard sun protection" uses physical methods to block the sunlight to achieve the purpose of sun protection, such as sun umbrellas, hats, sun protection clothing, sunglasses, etc.

Among them, sun umbrellas are a simple, comfortable, effective and recommended sun protection method under the scorching sun in midsummer because they cover a large body area and do not hinder ventilation and heat dissipation.

Warm reminder: For those who are particularly sensitive to ultraviolet rays, simply using a sun umbrella may not be enough. They also need to isolate other ground, environmental scattered and reflected light, etc. When the intensity of ultraviolet rays changes dramatically, such patients need to wear masks, long-sleeved clothes and other strict protective measures in advance to prevent the occurrence of ultraviolet allergies.

What does a “reliable” sun umbrella look like?

Not all umbrellas are qualified to be called sun protection umbrellas. They must have the ability to block UVA and UVB .

A qualified sun umbrella should meet the following three conditions:

01. UPF value on the label > 40

UPF and T(UVA)AV are two common indicators on the labels of sun umbrellas. UPF is the ultraviolet protection factor, which represents the protection effect of ultraviolet rays. T(UVA)AV is the average value of the transmittance of sunlight ultraviolet rays UVA, which represents the sunscreen blocking effect. Generally speaking, the larger the UPF value, the better, and the smaller the T(UVA)AV value, the better.

According to the "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles" (GB/T 18830-2009), only when the UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) is greater than 40 and the UVA (long-wave ultraviolet) transmittance is less than 5%, can it be called an anti-ultraviolet product. When buying a sun umbrella, you should choose a sun umbrella with a UPF greater than 40 and a UVA transmittance less than 5%.

02. Large umbrella surface and large curvature

Generally speaking, the larger the umbrella surface of a sun umbrella, the better, and the larger the protection area. In addition to the ultraviolet rays directly from the sun, there are also ultraviolet rays reflected from the ground or other surfaces, which require the sun umbrella to have a certain curvature to protect.

However, if the protective area of ​​the umbrella is too large, it will make it difficult to carry; if the curvature of the umbrella is too large, it will block the view of the person holding the umbrella. On the premise of ensuring portability and safety, try to choose a sun protection umbrella with a large area and a large curvature.

03. With dark sunscreen coating

Umbrellas with high yarn density and black or dark sunscreen coating on the inside have better sun protection effect. You can put the umbrella in the sun for a while, and then touch the inside of the umbrella with your hand. The lower the temperature, the better the sun protection performance of the umbrella.

Warm reminder: Try not to use a sun umbrella as a rain umbrella, as rain will damage the coating of the sun umbrella and reduce the umbrella's sun protection effect.

Avoid sunscreen anxiety

When sun protection becomes a concern, and you have to use various means to block ultraviolet rays every time before going out, and it even affects your normal life and mental state, you should be alert to "sun protection anxiety."

In fact, for most people with healthy skin, although ultraviolet rays can indeed cause problems such as tanning and skin aging, excessive sun protection can also harm physical health.