How to Find the Best Sun Protective Clothing for Burn Scars

Now that your burns have fully healed, you want to return to living and enjoying all summer activities! For burn survivors, spending time outside and enjoying the warmer weather can get tricky. Spending time outside in the sun can lead to causing further damage to your skin. Burn scars and donor sites need extra protection from too much sun exposure. But did you know you can protect your skin by wearing sun-protective clothing outdoors? So, let's explore how sun-protective clothing for burn scars can help you spend more time outside.    

Why is it essential that burn survivors wear UPF sun-protective clothing outdoors?   

Too much sun exposure is dangerous for everyone, not only to burn survivors. For one, it has been proven that UV radiation from the sun causes skin cancer. The sun emits two types of damaging ultraviolet light: UVA and UVB. Prolonged skin exposure to UVA and UVB rays causes changes within the skin cells that can develop into melanomas or other skin cancers. Since post-burn scar tissue (and the donor areas used for skin grafts) lacks natural defense against the sun's radiation, it burns quickly and is more likely to be damaged by the sun's rays. Even light thermal injuries like sunburn can cause lasting damage to burn-injured skin. That is why survivors are often told to avoid sun exposure for up to one year after injury.   

If your skin has been injured recently and is still healing or has skin grafts, it may still be red, swollen, and fragile. To be safe, consult your doctor on how to adequately protect the area without causing any damage before you plan your weekend getaway in the sun.   

Of course, you can enjoy outdoor activities if you protect your skin from the sun by wearing UPF sun-protective clothing. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, used to measure the amount of ultraviolet radiation that can penetrate the fabric. The best material for sun protection carries a UPF of 40 or 50.  

What to look for in sun-protective clothing for burn scars?   

All clothing that covers the skin protects it from UV rays to some extent. Tightly woven fabric like denim can stop some UV rays from reaching your skin—however, clothing made of material treated with chemical processes blocks almost all UV rays.   

Think of those cute little onesies you see babies and toddlers wear at the beach. These cover the whole torso and shoulders, most likely to precent sunburn. The larger the body surface area covered, the better protected you are. Fabric-rated 50 UPF stops almost all (98%) of sun UV rays from reaching your skin. Therefore, this is the best fabric for sun protection.    

Where Can You Find Sun Protective Clothing?   

The UPF garments are available at many sports stores or online. They look like regular clothes but are made from material that does not let UV rays penetrate. It means that your skin covered by the garment is protected from sun exposure. The protection does not diminish when the clothes get wet. So the special UPF clothing protects your skin no matter your activity.    

Burn Survivor's Favorite Brands    

Choosing the best UPF 50 clothing is relatively easy online. Coolibar Sun Protective Clothing is a community favorite that sells affordable sun-protective clothing. They have a fashionable range that looks like regular sports clothing and is perfect for hiking or doing your favorite activities in the sun. In addition, Columbia sells lightweight, stylish garments and has a range for the whole family.    

Sun Protection Beyond Clothing   

Of course, you cannot rely only on UPF clothing to protect you from the sun. For one, there are areas on your skin that cannot be covered by clothing, like your face and hands. For those areas, you can use sunscreen lotion.   

Shade is the natural environmental protector from direct sunlight, but it is possible to get sunburn even if you stay mainly in the shade. So shade should not be your only layer of protection against UV rays. But do try to avoid direct sunlight and find shady areas whenever possible when you are outside. It is worth noting that a dense, leafy tree canopy provides greater protection than a shaded patch created by a beach umbrella.    

You don't need to stay away from sunlight, but taking care when outside will help protect your skin from unnecessary damage. By wearing protective clothing and sunscreen and staying out of direct sunlight, you can spend many happy hours outdoors without causing any damage to your burn scars or new skin!