Can wearing sunscreen protect against UV rays?

The article was consulted with Specialist Doctor I Tran Van Sang - Dermatologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.

After recent rains, intense heat is continuing to return, UV radiation is at a very high level. When going out without protection, UV rays will damage the skin and health. So wearing a jacket can block UV rays?

UV rays are by nature a harmful heat radiation to the human body. The harmful effects of UV rays will be most affected when directly exposed to the surface of the skin and eyes, causing many serious problems in the long run.
For the eyes, constant exposure to UV rays has the potential to lead to keratitis, pinkeye, cataracts, retinal damage and macular degeneration.
Skin if regularly exposed to the sun without protection, UV rays will attack the dermis, making the skin dark (tanning). In addition, intense sunlight will cause the skin to age quickly, create wrinkles, damage and even lead to skin cancer.

When going out on the street, you can use UV-blocking glasses to protect your eyes, avoiding the harmful effects of UV rays to important parts of the eye such as the cornea, lens and retina.
According to information from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the color and intensity of glasses cannot be used to assess UV protection, nor do they say about the harmful or safe effects of glasses on the eyes. Even in many cases, the color of the glasses is too dark, which can be harmful to the eyes.
UV protection glasses should choose a type with large frames, the ability to hug the face, and cover the area around the eyes to be able to block sunlight. However, you should choose glasses that suit your face, usually choose glasses with the opposite shape to your face. For example, when you have a long face, you should choose round glasses, and vice versa. For someone who has never worn glasses, this can be a bit uncomfortable. However, make it a habit to wear glasses whenever going out in the sun to protect your eyes.

When you have to go out in the sun, use a UV-blocking mask to shield your face. In particular, masks that want to promote the best effect should cover the face, leaving both eyes wearing glasses, both to help prevent UV rays and limit dust.
Using a mask with black, dark color will have up to 90% sun protection effect. Meanwhile, light-colored masks only have about 60% sun protection. In terms of materials, it is recommended to use masks sewn with thick, twill weave. In addition, the commonly used blue medical mask has a thin fabric material, which only has the effect of blocking dust, and is not highly effective in sun protection and UV protection.

In the months of intense sunshine, one of the items that consumers consume very strongly is a UV-resistant jacket. A sunscreen jacket is often designed with materials that can block both UV rays and reduce heat absorption, which is very suitable for health protection from harsh sunlight, especially on summer days.
In order to meet the needs of consumers, recently, many types of sunscreen products are being launched by manufacturers to the market with a full range of designs, models and materials. At the same time, the prices of these types of products are also different, even many times higher than normal products. So how to choose a really good quality UV protection jacket?

To choose a good quality UV protection jacket, the first thing to pay attention to is the fabric.
In fact, all fabrics have the ability to block UV radiation, but only to different degrees, but cannot completely block UV rays. To choose an effective UV protection jacket, you need to pay attention to the UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) or UV protection index. For sunscreen clothing, the higher the UPF index, the higher the ability to block UV radiation.
Some fabrics have a very high UPF up to 1700, for example jeans. Meanwhile, shirts with cotton material often have a fairly low UPF index, only about 5-8. An effective sun protection shirt needs to be produced from a fabric with a UPF index of 15 to 50+, that is. is about UPF with the best skin protection effect. Typically, synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon will have higher UV resistance than cotton fabrics.

The second thing to pay attention to when choosing to buy a UV resistant jacket is the color.
According to experts, if calculated according to the principle of heat absorption of colors, dark and dark colors will have a higher ability to absorb heat. Therefore, when wearing dark colored sunscreen, you often feel hotter. However, dark colored clothing has better UV blocking ability than light colors. Therefore, the types of UV protection jackets on the market are usually darker and darker than normal jackets.
The higher the intensity of the sun, the more harmful UV rays in sunlight will be. When going out, don't forget to wear glasses, a mask and a UV protective jacket to actively protect your health.