Healthy Skin Guide
What’s the UV index?
Keep track and stay safe when the sun is the strongest.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Weather Service developed the UV index as a measure of the amount of the sun’s UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface on a given day. The readings range from 1 to 11+; the higher the number, the stronger the rays and the faster your skin will burn. To check the UV index anywhere in the continental U.S., go to epa.gov/sunwise1/uvindex.html. You can also buy a UV monitor, like the UV Hawk ($30; q3i.com), bottom right. Clip it to your beach blanket–not only will it give you a UV rating, but it sounds an alarm when you’re in danger of sun overexposure. A lower-tech option, the UV Intensity Meter & Lens Tester card ($5; scientificsonline.com), top right, gives you a UV reading when exposed to sunlight and can be used to test the UV-blocking ability of your sunglasses.
View a PDF of the article: Shape Magazine – Healthy Skin Guide – May 2007
