Hats and your Health

Q. Does a baseball cap protect my face from the sun?

A. Baseball caps usually don't shield the back of the neck, the ears or
the cheeks, areas where skin cancers often appear. Hats with a 3 inch
or greater brim, which provide reasonable protection around the nose,
cheeks and back of the neck, are recommended.

Legionnaire-style caps (with a back-flap) shade the neck, ears and
side of the face are also recommended.

Check the fabric the hat is made of has a tight weave and will not let
light through when held up to the sun.

Q. Why do I need to wear a hat throughout the summer?

A. Two in three of all skin cancers appear on the vulnerable head and neck
region and almost all of these tumors are caused by too much sun over
many years.

A large proportion of the more than 60,000 skin cancer cases expected
this year will be on the face, ears and neck - areas that could have
been protected by wearing an effective sun-hat.