It’s no secret that protecting our skin against the damaging rays of the sun is important. Long gone are the days of laying out with foil and oil, roasting skin to a bronze crisp. The list of adverse reaction to the sun reads like a horror novel… Premature aging, wrinkles, sun spots, farmers tan, and most importantly, skin cancer. Unlike the babysitter running straight into the killer, we can avoid imminent danger by layering on the protection.
First let’s understand what we are protecting against – Ultraviolet Radiation, which comes two different ways: UVA radiation which can pass thru glass – it is the culprit causing premature aging and wrinkling, and plays a role in several skin cancers; and UVB rays which do not pass through glass, and are more closely linked with the development of skin cancer and melanoma. It is the UVB rays that cause sunburn.
The only way to avoid exposure completely is to never go outside. That’s not feasible for most anyone, but especially not for those of us who own animals who live to eat grass… which the sun makes grow. Normal office 9-5ers are exposed to the sun regularly during driving, walking outside, gardening, and trips to the beach. But in the equestrian world, we are at the beach-exposure-level on a regular basis. Walking to catch horses, riding, hand grazing, course walking… and the list goes on. Fortunately of us, there has been advancements in our methods of protection.
Since sun damage builds up over time, it’s important to have a protection protocol in place year round that includes broad-spectrum sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, hats, and clothing.
The Always Amazing innovators at Ovation have created a line of Evercool ™ long sleeve shirts, making protecting our skin easy and stylish. The Cool Rider, which features a variety of stylish color combinations, gives riders everyday protection against the dreaded farmers tan (and oh yeah, skin cancer), and the Destiny provides protection ringside at the horse shows, with all the flair of a lined collar and wrist cuffs.
Not only do the shirts protect against 98% of UVA rays, they also feature technology that make them have a cooling effect with ultra-wicking and drying, are resistant to abrasion, repel hair and dirt, are odor resistant and antimicrobial.
Just another way that our barn life is Always Amazing with Ovation.
