A Towel is Not Enough!
Every day, thousands of tanners think they’re protecting their faces during a UV session by using a hand towel meant for wiping sweat off their bodies. Women who cover their faces with a towel think they are protected from UV rays and getting dreaded wrinkles … WRONG!
A towel provides a sun protection factor (SPF) of 5 – not enough to protect your face and certainly not enough to protect your eyes! For protecting our eyes during a tanning session, the FDA has only approved the use of UV-block goggles and disposable eye protection. But let’s talk about how that towel is also not protecting your SKIN.
Did you know that many clothing manufacturers are now offering UV-Block garments? Why? Simply because the clothes we wear outdoors in sunny weather do not provide protection from UV damage. Yes, the tanning rays are sufficiently blocked, so you aren’t tanning your skin, but all the invisible rays penetrate the fabric, possibly causing damage. “Weave is more important than fabric type,” reports the Skin Cancer Foundation newsletter. “The tighter the weave, the higher the SPF and darker clothes tend to be a higher SPF,” the report asserts.
