Stepping outside into scorching summer heat often leaves pedestrians searching for any patch of shade. While most people instinctively reach for broad-spectrum sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats or dark sunglasses, dermatologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham decided to evaluate an everyday tool that has been used for sun protection across Asia for centuries: the humble handheld umbrella. Their study examined how different handheld umbrellas reduce ultraviolet exposure and heat, finding that even ordinary rain umbrellas can provide substantial protection under direct summer sunlight.
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