Solumbra is a line of sun protection clothing and patented fabric that was introduced in 1992.

History

Shaun Hughes, a melanoma patient, developed the Solumbra line of fabric and clothing. He felt that traditional UV protection was insufficient, as he would tan through sunscreen and get sunburned through his summer clothing. Solumbra clothing designs are based on published medical guidelines. Solumbra entered the

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marketplace in 1992. Solumbra was reviewed under medical device regulations by the U.S.

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(FDA) and

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. No previous sun protective clothing had been reviewed as a medical device in the United States or Canada. The SPF rating was tested by labs to be 50+,Lowe NJ, Bourget T, Hughes S, Sayre RM. UV protection offered by clothing: An In Vitro and In Vivo Assestment of Summer Clothing Fabrics, Skin Cancer Journal, 1995; 10:89-96.Lowe NJ, Bourget T, Hughes S, Sayre RM. UV protection offered by clothing: An In Vitro and In Vivo Assetment of Summer Clothing Fabrics, in Sunscreens: Development, Evaluation, and Regulatory Aspects. Lowe NJ, Shaath NA Pathak MA (eds). 2nd ed Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1996, 619-629. by journalists to be 97+, and by the manufacturer to be 100+.

Research

R. Sayre was the lead researcher of '' in vitro'' SPF testing for traditional summer fabrics. This revealed that traditional summer clothing in North America offered less than 15 SPF protection, the minimum level recommended by doctors. These traditional summer fabrics tested between SPF 59 when dry and SPF 39 when wet. Nicholas Lowe and R Sayre followed this up with '' in vivo'' research to find that Solumbra achieved over 50 SPF when dry or wet. ''In vivo'' research spearheaded by J Menter and Sayre, published in the '' Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology'', showed that most mice contracted squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) skin cancers through typical summer fabrics, and mice protected by Solumbra fabrics did not incur skin cancers. Subsequent research by Menter and Sayre found that specific Solumbra fabrics provided photoprotection for mice against injury from visible light when sensitized with the photosensitizer, ALA, compared to insufficient protection by typical summer fabric.Menter JM, Hollins TD, Sayre RM, Etemadi AA, Willis I, Hughes SNG. Protection against photodynamic therapy (PDT)-induced photosensitivity by fabric material, Photoderm Photoimmunol Photomed 1998; 4:154-159.

References

{{reflist Clothing brands of the United States Safety clothing Sun tanning