big bend gyrene wrote:Zload, like so many things nowadays the SPF ratings by manufacturers should be weighed with trust you have in the company/supplier. While the government IS pushing tighter regulations on SPF claims (article speaks to this), enactment is not yet fully in place and probably find cheap 3rd world rip-offs on ebay selling SPF items strictly as rip-off marketing. Reputable sporting good sellers are growing more careful to have protection proven and to move towards meeting stronger regulations.
Make no mistake about it, all clothing is NOT created equal. Wet, white cotton t-shirt offers very little protection and you CAN EASILY get burned through one. Darker colors tend to offer better protection with the trade off of getting hot... tightness of weave is also a factor... if clothing has larger weave and sunlight gets through it, more damage will result. That's why many items sold as protective clothing have vents built in - tight weave so need vents to have air circulation. I actually prefer the long sleeved technical t-style shirts myself... just choose ones with a bit of color and without the loosest weave pattern. And for what it's worth, Doc recommends patients see clothes in general as a preference OVER sunscreens as there are so many variables associated with sunscreen effectiveness (washing off, ingredients breaking down, etc). Folks should think of sunscreen as the final method of defense in a list of items (clothes, shade, etc), and not as a lone tool to fight exposure.
This is a great discussion and as a Florida native "senior" angler, it is interesting that we are coming around now to how old timey Florida "cracker" fishermen used to dress. In the olden days, the characters I revered all wore long pants and long sleeved shirts, plus big hats. Even though their faces and hands were like brown leather, the rest of them was covered. Us kids put on baby oil and worked on the best tan we could get, all over if possible. No shoes, no shirts, hats, shorts. Bronze god was the thing. We loved it, then. Sunscreen was a beach umbrella.
Twenty years later sunscreen you applied to skin was invented, and that was a big deal. We actually started to use something to
prevent tanning, and worked into more cover clothes over the years. Biggest problem I had was that the chemicals irritated my skin, so using it was a tradeoff. I have been fishing with long shirts and pants, plus a big hat, for at least the past ten years. Fabrics have gotten a lot better, as has sunscreen. Mostly, the guys I fish with today
still use sunscreen seldom, wear ball caps, shorts, and don't put the shirts or shoes on until way into the day. Even with covering up, I had the Efudex "torture treatment" for sun damage to my face, neck, hands, and arms this winter, and it was the worst self-inflicted "cure" I have ever endured. Doc said that damage was done early and told me these days I should pull up the Buff all the way over my face, not just on the neck, even with the big hat. Well, I do when on plane and in the wind but under the T-top I don't pull it up.
One tip I have for you guys: use a lip sunscreen that contains avobenzone, or any combo that controls both UV A & B. Most don't, so you have to look at the ingredients. The worst damage I had was on my lips, as they are tough to protect, even with a hat. You have to keep putting the lip screen on (or pull up a Buff)- but, you need to do it. When I was near done with my treatment I had chunks of my lips that blistered and fell away, so bloody, blistered, and raw that I could hardly eat and had to drink with a straw. Point is the lips get sun all of the time outdoors, and tender they are.
Luck,
EJ
Thanks to both for their help in getting the word out! This issue also has my feature on light-tackle tricks for Destin red snapper.
), #1 tip I can share with folks is DO NOT WAIT until you are on the boat, the sun has come up, and you get hot to remember to apply sunblock. That's a sure-fire way to get burned / suffer cumulative damage. Add the application of sunblock to your morning PRE-LAUNCH prep list. Use the "Wow, it's sure bright & hotter than Hades!" thought to serve as a RE-APPLICATION reminder.
Talk to some of us older folks on the board, and you'll QUICKLY appreciate that the exposure you may take lightly now means future run-ins with really sharp knife blades and lots of resulting scars. 
