We've all been hearing it since we were little kids - make sure you put on sunblock before you go out in the sun. Many skin care professionals will even advise you to put on sunblock every single day no matter what as the suns powerful rays can affect you through car, home, and office windows.
In most day to day situations sunblock, or "soft" protection, is probably sufficient but experts warn that 1) most people do not apply enough sunscreen in the first place, 2) that sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours to remain effective, and 3) that sunscreen becomes less effective after sweating, swimming, or wiping.
Now let's be honest - for most serious athletes and weekend warriors, we view putting on sunscreen as a chore to be checked off the list before we start having our real fun, and aren't likely to be reapplying sunscreen in the middle of our ski day, bike ride, boating, or fishing session. Furthermore, in many of the places we like to have fun - in the mountains, on the water, on a boat - the sun's harmful rays are reflected right back at us, exponentially increasing our UV exposure or in the case of being at altitude, the sun's rays intensify greatly as the atmosphere thins out.
But it isn't just sunburn we should be worried about. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common non-melanoma skin cancer worldwide and in the US alone over 3.5 million cases are diagnosed each year. 8 of 10 BCCs occur on the face with the majority of those occurring on the nose. Moreover, damage from the sun is progressive. The vast majority - over 90% - of BCC cases occur in those over 40 years old, suggesting that cumulative sun damage from our teens, 20's, and 30's (when we feel the most invincible) eventually catches up with us.
And while our bodies can repair some of the DNA damage from UV exposure it can't repair all of it. That damage accumulates over time, triggering mutations that can lead to tumors. While BCC is rarely fatal it can become invasive, reoccurring, and disfiguring and will in all cases require medical intervention. Not something you want to deal with on any part of your body let alone your face.
For those of us who enjoy spending time in extreme sun environments, "hard" protection is a must - long sleeve shirts, pants, hats, buffs and the like. But the nose, yes the nose, that intrepid little appendage perched perfectly in the middle of our faces and angled up to the sky is often neglected. How do you effectively protect the nose when sunscreen wears off, sweats off, or is simply forgotten? Hats don't do a great job, especially with reflected light coming from snow, water, sand, or rock, and buffs get stuffy in warmer temps and with physical exertion.
Enter Onus - a start-up sunglasses brand focused on innovative design, high-performance materials, and maximum protection. Our one of a kind, patent-pending nose shield is like nothing else in the industry and provides unmatched solar protection from harmful UV rays. For years, serious climbers have fashioned homemade leather nose covers to their sunglasses knowing the contraptions would keep their noses warm and protect them from the sun. But not until now has a magnetically integrated, removable nose cover been so seamlessly integrated into a pair of high performance polarized sporting sunglasses at a competitive price.
The research on skin cancer also shows that those who have experienced BCC lesions before are much more likely to have a reoccurrence and should be extra vigilant in their sun protection efforts. I don't know where you are at in your journey through life but 40 is staring me right in the face (pun intended) and I find myself thinking more and more about longevity these days. The dates on the calendar seem to turn ever faster like a movie montage and I want to keep skiing, riding, biking, fishing, boating, golfing, and hiking as long as I possibly can. If you're anything like me and can't stomach the thought of anything sidelining you from your next long duration, high-altitude, or water-based adventure consider some additional shade for your nosy little friend and look no further than Onus Optics - Revolutionary Sun Protection.
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