It's always very important to keep yourself safe and healthy when spending a lot of time in the sun but sometimes misinformation can spread and lead you to believe false methods on how to do so.
This can leave you vulnerable to a lot of health issues, so it's always important to fact-check your methods to make sure that the steps you are taking actually work.
One popular method of keeping safe while out in the sun is to sit underneath an umbrella or parasol - but are they actually effective against UV rays or is this just misinformation?
Let's find out the answer below!
UV Rays And Their Dangers
Everyone loves spending time in the sun but too much sunshine can seriously damage your health.
This is because along with visible light, our sun also emits a form of radiation called Ultraviolet (shortened down to UV).
This is also the radiation used in tanning beds.
This form of radiation is harmless in small doses, but prolonged exposure over time can lead to some serious health effects.
UV rays are always being emitted from the sun but they are stronger during sunnier weather.
Prolonged unprotected exposure can lead to temporary side effects like darkened skin and sometimes sunburn, but also can cause a lot of damage over many years.
Common side effects of prolonged exposure to UV rays over time include premature aging and sun damage, including wrinkles, leather-like skin, and liver spots.
Not only that but UV exposure can also damage your eyes by burning your cornea, causing it to become inflamed.
And, of course, UV rays can cause skin cancer (both melanoma and nonmelanoma) over time too.
So, prolonged unprotected exposure to UV rays can cause serious health conditions that could be life-threatening, which is why it's so important to adequately protect yourself and your family from the effects of UV.
So - can umbrellas help with that?
Can Umbrellas Protect You From UV Rays?
The answer to this question is both yes and no.
Using an umbrella in the sun will provide you with a physical barrier against the sunlight, allowing you to sit in the shade where it is cooler, and block UV rays.
So, yes - umbrellas do block UV rays but they do not protect you entirely from UV radiation.
This is because UV radiation can bounce and scatter, meaning that the UV rays that hit the sand a foot to your right can easily bounce and hit you from underneath your umbrella.
UV radiation can be broken down into three different components. The first is beam radiation.
This refers to the UV rays that are coming directly down from the sun.
When we put up our umbrellas or wear clothes or hats, this is the barrier we are putting up to protect ourselves from UV beam radiation.
This will provide us with some protection from UV rays - but not all of them.
The second group is reflected radiation. These are the UV rays that hit the ground and bounce back upward.
Because they can bounce at an angle, they can hit you from behind even when standing or sitting underneath an umbrella.
The final group is diffuse radiation.
These are rays that have no definitive direction and can just bombard you from any angle or direction - even if you are sitting in the sun or shade.
So, in reality, umbrellas are only protecting you partially from UV rays.
This does not mean that you should sit out in the sun without an umbrella, though - that partial protection is still protection so you should definitely try and shade yourself whenever you can.
How To Protect Yourself From UV Rays
It is ultimately impossible to stop every ray of UV radiation from hitting your skin, but there are steps you can take to stop that radiation from potentially causing serious health conditions.
Staying in the shade during bright, sunny weather is definitely a top recommendation.
This is why we tend to take umbrellas to the beach with us - to provide us with cool shade and a form of protection against UV rays.
However, this should not be your only method of protection against UV rays.
You should also wear sunscreen and reapply it regularly when outdoors.
It's always best to use a high SPF sunscreen to give you and your family the highest level of protection.
Remember to reapply your sunscreen, especially after swimming, and to ensure that your sunscreen is within date.
It's a common misconception that you can use sunscreen even after it's used by date - but like with most things, sunscreen has an expiration date and will not be effective after that day.
Using out of date sunscreen will not protect you from UV rays and will instead leave you and your family vulnerable.
Wearing cool clothing will also provide your skin with another barrier against UV radiation, as well as wearing a hat to protect your head and scalp.
Sunglasses will shade your eyes and eyelids from UV rays too as well as allowing you to see more clearly in sunnier weather.
Ultimately, you should follow all of the above recommendations when it comes to keeping yourself safe and protected from the dangerous side effects UV rays can cause.
Conclusion
So, umbrellas do protect you against UV rays but only partially.
While they do help you stay safe from direct UV rays, they do not protect you from diffused or reflected UV rays.
This means that even if you stay under the shade of your umbrella, you can still catch a sunburn and the other serious side effects of UV ray exposure.
Keep you and your family safe by wearing sunscreen, sunglasses to protect your eyes and loose clothing as an extra barrier against UV rays.
You will not be able to stop every single ray of UV radiation from hitting you but you can take extra steps to stop them from harming your health and well-being.
So, cover up and put those umbrellas up to help yourself stay happy and healthy this summer!
