Come to an Auto Tint Shop Near You in Brick or East Brunswick to Apply Film to Your Vehicle
Medical researchers in the United States learned that when skin cancer occurred only on one side of the body, it was most often the left side. In fact, 52 percent of melanoma cases and 53 percent of Merkel cell carcinoma cases, two of the most deadly types of skin cancer, occurred only on the left side of the body, on areas like the upper arms. This led researchers to connect sun exposure while driving with these deadly skin cancers.
Although skin cancers linked to driving are less likely to occur in people who only drive short periods of time, drivers behind the wheel for longer periods of time, like truck drivers, are at a higher risk of skin cancer. Driving with your windows open, the convertible top down, or without applying sunscreen also can increase your risk of developing skin cancer.
Car windows are already very good at blocking UVB rays, the type of sun rays that cause sunburn. However, they don’t block UVA rays, which are responsible for skin aging and the development of cancerous skin cells. The exception is perhaps the windshield, which is typically treated to block them. UVA radiation is responsible for more than 90 percent of skin cancer in the U.S. To block UVA radiation in your vehicle, your best option is to apply high-performance window tint to your car windows to help prevent skin cancer.
How Window Tint Works
UV radiation is part of the natural energy the sun produces. On the electromagnetic spectrum, UV light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. While you cannot see UV rays, your skin most certainly feels it.
Window tint is made of a special material that protects your skin by blocking up to 99 percent of harmful UV rays. A recent study showed that when sunlight was filtered through UV-absorbing glass, like glass with a window tint, skin cell death was reduced by 93 percent. Thus, applying a window tint is the most effective way to prevent skin cancer over time, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
And it’s not just inside your car! Any time you sit near an open window, you’re risking exposure to UVA rays. Unless you apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays with a sun protection factor (SPF) value of at least 30, you are increasing your risk of developing skin cancer, prematurely aging your skin, and getting a sunburn.
UV Exposure Factors
The strength of the sun’s UV rays depends on a number of things, aside from whether you’re wearing sunscreen. According to the American Cancer Society, these factors include:
- Time of day. UV rays are the strongest at mid-day.
- Season. UV rays are stronger in the spring and summer.
- Distance from the equator. UV exposure goes down as you get further from the equator, which is good news for us here in New Jersey.
- Altitude. More UV rays reach the ground at higher elevations, because it’s technically closer to the sun. This also is good news for most areas of New Jersey.
- Cloud cover. While cloud effects can vary, UV rays can still get to the ground on an overcast day.
- Reflection off surfaces. UV rays bounce off certain surfaces and back up onto your skin. These surfaces include water, sand, snow, or pavement – bad news for Jersey Shore residents!
How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun
In everyday life, staying in the shade, applying sunscreen, wearing clothing that covers your skin, and popping on a hat and sunglasses can help protect your skin from harmful rays from the sun.
- Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., UV light is the strongest. To determine how strong the sun’s rays are, you can use what the American Cancer Society calls the shadow test. If your shadow appears shorter than you are, the sun’s rays are the strongest, and you should take measures to protect yourself and the kids.
- Sunscreen protects your skin from the sun’s UV rays, although it is just a filter and doesn’t block all of them. Remember to choose a sunscreen with broad-spectrum protection with an SPF of at least 30. Sunscreen expires after two or three years, so always check the expiration date.
- Clothing like long-sleeved shirts, pants, or long skirts cover the most skin. Darker colors are most protective. Some specialized outdoor clothing are coated to help absorb UV rays and will have a label listing the UV protection factor (UPF) on a scale from 15 to 50+. The higher the rating, the more protection from UV rays you will receive. Certain laundry detergents also can increase the UPF value of your clothing.
- A hat with a 2- or 3-inch brim all the way around protects your ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp, which are most often exposed to the sun. Baseball caps don’t protect the neck or the ears, but a brimmed hat made with tightly-woven fabric can provide more protection.
- Apply a ceramic window tint to your car windows. Ceramic window tint, such as 3M Ceramic IR film, uses a special ceramic particle that reduces solar heat by up to 50 percent and blocks 99 percent of UV light. Visibly, ceramic film is crystal clear, but shields your skin from the sun’s rays. The film is durable, so you can rely on it for the entirety of your car ownership. Ceramic tint never fades, and as an added bonus, it even protects your windows from shattering.
Visit Auto Image in Brick and East Brunswick, New Jersey, for Window Tinting
To get the best sun protection in your car, visit Auto Image, where we install brand-name window films using the latest precision installation equipment. Conveniently located on NJ-18 in East Brunswick and on Chambers Bridge Road in Brick, we’re the Jersey Shore’s favorite auto tint shop.
To make an appointment or to learn more about your New Jersey window tinting options, call our East Brunswick location at 732-254-2727 or our Brick location at 732-920-0606.
