You have the best health insurance, including dental and emergency coverage. You always use seat belts in the car. And you make sure that your kids look both ways before crossing the street. But did you know that ultraviolet (“UV”) light could be hurting your family? Yes, it’s true. Let us count the ways.

Premature Skin Aging

While the sun has positive benefits, UVA rays penetrate the atmosphere and can cause your beautiful skin to age prematurely. Excess radiation can cause damage at the DNA level and can lead to wrinkles, sun spots, and skin cancer. UV light can penetrate ordinary glass and cause it to multiply its negative effects. Fortunately, window film blocks the UVA light that enters your windows. This film blocks up to 99.9 percent of UV radiation and lets in up to 80 percent of visible light. For more information about UVA and UVB, see this excellent article from Skin Cancer.org.

Eye Damage

The sun can cause damage to the eyes which accumulates in later life. Conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts can be caused by too much solar radiation. At the beach, sunscreen and sunglasses, as well as a large hat, should be used. The American Optometric Association has guidelines for caring for your eyes. Luckily, window film will protect your family’s eyes in your own home by keeping UV radiation from entering your windows.

Damage to Furniture

Fading, discoloration and fabric breakdown are three problems that can be easily preventable with window film. Even if your area is foggy, UV radiation can cause damage to your rugs and beautiful furniture, as outlined in this article from Houzz on how to prevent sun damage indoors. And by the way, if you have big windows, applying window film is not a DIY project–we recommend that you call in an expert. We are located in the San Francisco Bay Area if you need us.

Skin Cancer

Exposure to UV radiation puts you and your family at risk for skin cancer. The time of day, time of year, cloud cover, and altitude all change the strength of the UV rays. Outdoors, clothing and skin protection can help alleviate some risk. Indoors, much of this risk can be avoided by applying window film.

Children Are More Vulnerable

Severe sunburns as a child severely increase an individual’s risk for developing skin cancer. Children need to wear hats, sunscreen, and avoid the sun when it’s at its most harsh, between 10 am and 4 pm. Indoors, you can use window film to protect the little ones.

Protect Your Family

We’d love to talk to you about different types of window film for your home. We’re near the San Jose Airport, and travel up and down the San Francisco peninsula all the way up to San Francisco.