Solumbra
47°36′45″N 122°20′11″W / 47.61237°N 122.3365°W
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Shaun Hughes |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Products | Clothing |
| Website | sunprecautions.com |
Solumbra is a line of sun protection clothing and patented[1] fabric that was introduced in 1992.
History
[edit]Shaun Hughes, a melanoma patient, developed the Solumbra line of fabric and clothing.[2] 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.[3]
Solumbra entered the United States marketplace in 1992. Solumbra was reviewed under medical device regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[4] and Health Canada. No previous sun protective clothing had been reviewed as a medical device in the United States or Canada.[5] The SPF rating was tested by labs to be 50+,[6][7] by journalists to be 97+,[8] and by the manufacturer to be 100+.
Research
[edit]R. Sayre was the lead researcher of in vitro SPF testing for traditional summer fabrics.[quantify] 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 5–9 when dry and SPF 3–9 when wet.[9] Nicholas Lowe and R Sayre followed this up with in vivo research to find that Solumbra achieved over 50 SPF when dry or wet.[6][7]
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.[10] 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.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ US5503917A, Hughes, Shaun N. G., "Ultraviolet protective fabric", issued 1996-04-02
- ^ From medical nightmare to business dream Skin-cancer survivor invents sun-blocking clothing [1]
- ^ Keeling JH, Kraus EW, Pathak M, Sober AJ. Hats: design and protection from ultraviolet radiation. Mil Med, 1989 May;154(5):250-5.
- ^ U.S. FDA 510(k)Premarket Notification. Device Classification: Sun Protective Clothing: 510(K) K920240. FDA Consumer
- ^ FDA Consumer Jul-Aug 1995; Thwarting skin cancer with sun sense – includes related articles on ultraviolet radiation, artificial sunlight, and ultraviolet exposure http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1370/is_n6_v29/ai_17280008/pg_2/
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Brody, Jane E. (2006-06-06). "Do Your Skin a Favor: Protect It in Summer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
- ^ Sayre RM, Hughes SNG. Sun Protective Apparel: advancements in sun protection, Skin Cancer Journal, 1993, 8:41-47.
- ^ Menter JM, Hollins TD, Sayre RM, Etemadi AA, Willis I, Hughes SNG. Protection against UV photocarcinegensis by fabric materials, J Am Acad Dermatology 1994; 31:711-716.
- ^ 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.