Lately I have had a few conversations with friends and customers about the increase in people we know or have heard of that have developed melanoma, skin cancers and sun damage.
I myself also noticed that last summer in Perth was particularly harsh on my own skin and seemed much more intense then usual!
Specualtion as to why Australia has such a high rate of skin cancer resides strongly around the idea that there is a hole in the ozone layer above us. Apparently there has been a 5-9% depletion of the ozone layer over Australia since the 1960’s meaning that uv radiation is more easily able to pass through, explaining much of our excess skin cancer rates.
Apparently from 10.30am to 4.30pm is the time where the UV is at it’s highest levels, so the best thing we can do to prevent ourselves from excess sun exposure during those times is to be smart.
Being smart means wearing sunscreen, wearing a hat, covering up, wearing sunglasses or seeking shade during those peak UV hours! The only problem is that sometimes we are stuck in the car or office during the day where the sun is coming through the windows. This is where window tinting can play a big role in preventing sun damage and skin cancers.
Firstly all window film blocks 99% of harmful UV radiation which is the main reason tint was invented. If your car is tinted already and you wind your window down on a hot summers day it doesn’t take long before you can feel the burn on your arms, face and legs.
Alot of new cars these days come with built in privacy glass which looks dark but offers no UV protection. This glass is always situated in the back of a car where babies and young children are often sitting and so I always a recommend a light film to be applied over these areas at minimum for UV protection!
For people working mobile or that are on the road a lot window tinting is a must these days!
Window tinting is definitely one of the long term solutions for preventing excesss sun damage and the occurence of skin cancer in Australia.
So lets all do our bit to stay smart and stay safe for the long term by looking at how we can all do our bit everyday to protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays and stay sun aware!