We all know sunscreen must be reapplied--sometimes hourly. Many of us are good at getting that first layer on in the morning but forget to put more on throughout the day. What if there was a way to be reminded without having to think about what time we last put on sunscreen? UV SunSense did just that. They came out with a sunscreen alert bracelet that changes color to remind people when to reapply their sunscreen.
According to the American Cancer Association, over one million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year with the majority being sun- related. They recommend avoiding the sun during the most intense UV light time of the day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but many of us are outside during these hours, especially in summer.
Other practices of wearing hats and shirts to block the sun’ s rays and always use a sunscreen lotion above an SPF of 15 are easy to incorporate but knowing when to reapply our sunscreen has been left to a best guess of when you need to do it, such as after swimming.
How the bands work:
Developed by a nuclear physicist, the bands work by changing between four different colors depending on exposure to the sun. When the band first comes out of the package it is orange indicating it has not been used. The band is then attached to your wrist.
Rub sunscreen all over the exposed areas of your skin and also onto the band. The band does not contain sunscreen itself. When the band is exposed to the sun it turns dark purple indicating it is activated and ready for you to go out and be in the sun.
When the band turns brown it is time to reapply sunscreen. If the band turns salmon color that means it is time to get out of the sun as the maximum amount of UV light one should receive in one day has been reached.
It is recommended that when using the bands to use sunscreen that is at least SPF 15. The bands were developed based on skin 2 type of skin, which is the most common type in Caucasians. Skin type 1 is the rating for people who are extremely fair and burn easily and skin type 3 are those with darker or olive complexions who burn less frequently. Skin types 4 to 6 are dark skinned people who tan easily and rarely burn.
The bands can be purchased on Amazon and at certain other stores for $6.99 for 7 bands but they are not reusable. UV SunSense recommends using only one band a day. Dermatologists have shown support for the bands as a useful tool in the drive to keep our families safe from too much sun exposure. Let us know if you try them, how they worked for you.
sources:
www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/SunandUVExposure/skin-cancer-facts
http://www.uvsunsense.com/uvss/
http://webreprints.djreprints.com/2450911384147.html
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele are at www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles