Island Tribe Has Tamed The Sun
Island Tribe Sun Protection has been protecting active outdoor individuals since 1992. Our products are researched and developed by leading sunscreen laboratories in South Africa and Australia, alongside professionals in the global sunscreen industry, to ensure that the products we offer are world class. Every single product is tried and tested, ensuring maximum performance and a promise on quality delivery. Island Tribe products are designed to give you maximum protection against UVA and UVB rays, each protecting formula being carried differently for a unique consumer in mind. In addition to this our products are recognised by CANSA as protection against the harmful effects of the sun.
What is Ultraviolet Radiation?
UV radiation is part of the electromagnetic (light) spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun. It has wavelengths shorter than visible light, making it invisible to the naked eye. These wavelengths are classified as UVA, UVB and UVC, with UVA the longest of the three. With even shorter rays then UVA and UVB, most UVC is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not reach the earth.
Both UVA and UVB, however, penetrate the atmosphere and play an important role in conditions such as premature skin aging, eye damage, and skin cancers. They also suppress the immune system, reducing your ability to fight off these and other maladies.
UVB
UVB, the chief cause of skin reddening and sunburn, tends to damage the skin’s more superficial epidermal layers. It plays a key role in the development of skin cancer and a contributory role in tanning and wrinkling. Its intensity varies by season, location, and time of day.
The most significant amount of UVB hits us between 11 AM and 3 PM in summer. However, UVB rays can burn and damage your skin year-round, especially at high altitudes and on reflective surfaces such as water, which bounce back up to 80 percent of the rays so that they hit the skin twice. UVB rays do not significantly penetrate glass.
UVA
Most of us are exposed to large amounts of UVA throughout our lifetime. UVA rays account for up to 95 percent of the UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. Although they are less intense than UVB, UVA rays are 30 to 50 times more prevalent. They are present with relatively equal intensity during all daylight hours throughout the year, and can penetrate clouds and glass.
UVA, which penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB, has long been known to play a major part in skin aging and wrinkling, but until recently scientists believed it did not cause significant damage in areas of the epidermis (outermost skin layer) where most skin cancers occur. Studies over the past two decades, however, show that UVA damages skin cells called keratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis, where most skin cancers occur. (Basal and squamous cells are types of keratinocytes.) UVA contributes to and may even initiate the development of skin cancers.
UVA is the dominant tanning ray, and we now know that tanning, whether outdoors or in a salon, causes cumulative damage over time. A tan results from injury to the skin’s DNA; the skin darkens in an imperfect attempt to prevent further DNA damage. These imperfections, or mutations, can lead to skin cancer.
Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and UV Radiation
Since the advent of modern sunscreens, a sunscreen’s efficacy has been measured by its sun protection factor, or SPF. SPF is not an amount of protection per se. Rather, it indicates how long it will take for UVB rays to redden skin when using a sunscreen, compared to how long skin would take to redden without the product.
For instance, someone using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will take 15 times longer to redden than without the sunscreen. An SPF 15 sunscreen screens 93 percent of the sun’s UVB rays; SPF 30 protects against 97 percent; and SPF 50, 98 percent.
Prevention Guidelines
* Seek the shade, especially between 11 AM and 3 PM.
* Do not burn.
* Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
* Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
* Use ISLAND TRIBE sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
* Apply ISLAND TRIBE sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply regularly and after swimming or toweling off.
* Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
* Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
* See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.
