7 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- For many the first indicator you have spent too much time in the sun is that telltale redness on the skin.
Mom and veteran science teacher, Patricia Swanson, knows firsthand that sunburns cause more than fleeting discomfort.
"I got a lot of skin damage growing up as a lifeguard and I actually had skin cancer cut off my nose and I had a friend that had the same thing," says Swanson.
Swanson started using a simple detection device that looks more like a fashion bracelet as a teaching tool in her classroom to show students how fast ultraviolet rays penetrate the skin.
Now she believes her UV SOL Beads will help families everywhere to recognize the subtle damage of the sun.
"They're beads that contain a UV sensitive dye, and so when you're out in the sun exposed to UV, they will change color. So we were finding that in the shade, they're lighter, like more of a pastel color. And when you go out in the sunshine without any protection over us, you'll see how bright they get and its an indicator," Swanson explains.
We asked local MOM Nora Burke to give the beads a try with her kids. Burke says if there was such an indicator, "It would be unbiased evidence that they've been in the sun too long that they need to do something like get out of the sun or put some more lotion on!" Swanson explains to Burke that, "Many people forget that when there's cloud cover, you are getting a lot of UV exposure." After five days of testing, Burke found the beads to be an eye opening tool. "I do an early morning swim program. When I got out of the pool at 7am, the beads were in full bloom and this was at the shaded area of the pool. I wouldn't even considered putting sunscreen lotion on that early in the morning," explains Burke.
Also the manufacturer says the beads are to cycle back-and-forth. They cycle 50,000 times.
Burke did mention that although the SOL Beads did seem to be an indicator of her sun exposure, her only frustration was that when she was swimming and being active the beads did slip off her wrist a few times. Her advice: Make sure to tie the bracelet on tight.
A portion of all proceeds of the UV Sol Beads goes to charities such as the Skin Care Foundation.
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