What’s UPF Clothing?

May is melanoma awareness month, and as you know by now, this cause is near and dear to my heart. My mother passed away from melanoma almost 10 years ago. It was by far, the most devastating event in my life to date. I was so consumed with doing research online to find something to find a cure or possibly prolong my mother’s life. Unfortunately, after exhausting all treatments available at that time, she lost the battle. If I can help save one other person through my passionate spreading of awareness, then it will be worth every minute of my time.

One of the top things that people need to know about is that a lot of skin cancers can be prevented from happening in the first place.

What can you do for yourself and your family to help prevent skin cancer?

• Wear spf daily even on rainy or cloudy days. That goes for the whole family. Teaching your children about this daily routine will help them to practice it throughout their lifetime, making it an easy habit to remember.
• You should do visual self check skin exams at home. If you ever see a spot on your skin that looks suspicious, have it checked. I think every single dermatologist out there would prefer to have patients come in for checks rather than seeing them when the spot has progressed to later stages. Early detection is key to survival, especially melanoma.
• Wear UPF clothing for added protection. YES, it’s a thing!! This will give you even more protection so you can enjoy your time outdoors without worry.

What is UPF clothing and why should you wear it?

Skincancer.org describes why wearing UPF clothing items can help keep you safe in the sun. “Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) indicates how much UV radiation (both UVB and UVA) a fabric allows to reach your skin. For example, a UPF 50 fabric blocks 98 percent of the sun’s rays and allows two percent (1/50th) to penetrate, thus reducing your exposure risk significantly.” You can check out their website for a wealth of information on skin cancer and how to spot it.

One of my favorite ways to stay safe in the sun is to wear clothing made with UPF fabrics. Cabana Life makes some of the prettiest, high quality UPF clothing out there. They actually have clothing for the whole family! I love that because teaching early habits to young children is so important. It makes it part of their normal routine. Then there are people like me, who are from the generation that didn’t use spf until our 40’s, when we finally realized that the sun is not a friend to our skin.

They make everything you might wear when outdoors, from tops, tunics, dresses, swimsuits and loungewear to hats and accessories. I really do all that I can to stay protected while outdoors, so I have a variety of items that I wear often. The sports tops are some of my favorites. Everyone should own at least one of these lightweight tops for added sun protection, whether you’re running errands, participating in sports activities, hanging by the pool, in the pool or sipping coffee on the patio (like me).

I’m wearing the Charleston Sport Zip Polo and it’s made with UPF 50+ fabric that blocks 98% of UVA + UVB rays. It’s lightweight, breathable and quick drying. There’s mesh under arm venting panels too, which a is a nice touch. It’s offered in about a dozen patterns and solids with new ones being released all the time. The fabric is wrinkle resistant, so I will probably pack this top for every single trip I take. They even have matching or coordinating tops and more for the whole family (starting at size 2T) so I will definitely be matching my grand babies one day soon.

Here you can some of the types of sun protective activewear that can be purchased on the Cabana Life site. So many fantastic styles and prints to choose from!

During the month od May, you can show your support for Cabana Life with branded merchandise that furthers their mission to prevent skin cancer. They will donate 100% of the proceeds of Cabana Life Meaningful Merchandise to the Melanoma Reasearch Foundation. It’s a win/win for all!

• Buy a Cabana Life sticker & they donate $2

• Buy a Cabana Life car magnet & they donate $5

• Buy a Cabana Life greeting cards pack & they donate $10

• Buy a Cabana Life Tote Bag & they donate $15

I’m curious, do you prefer prints or solids for your sport tops?

**This shirt was sent to me because I’m a brand partner for Cabana Life. I only share my honest opinions on products I review. Some affiliate links are used in this post.