Menu
Remember. It’s 1996 and the first thing the restaurant host asks you is “ ‘ smoking’ or ‘non-smoking’ “ before even asking how many guests in your party. Our homes were built with asbestos and we slathered our skin with baby oil before turning ourselves into rotisserie humans on the beach. We know better now. And, products that don’t improve the health of the consumer don’t do well in today’s market. While we may not all be vegan marathon runners, the wide majority of us do pay attention to labels and do what we can to live our best healthy lives.
Vehicle window tint initially hit the market as a health and safety product offering protection from the sun. Why? Because the sun’s rays are dangerous enough on their own, but exponentially more hazardous when exposure is through a car’s window. The glass acts as a magnifying glass and the effects can be felt immediately. Discomforts of driving without tinted windows include increased ambient heat, burning skin, and strained eyes.
Window tint film serves as an effective barrier between the sun rays and vehicle passengers. By effectively shading the window, tint film increases comfort and safety by shielding you from:
Let’s take a deeper look at how window tint film protects you from all of these.
Skin is the largest organ in your body and is responsible for keeping the external environment outside of your body, where it belongs. Skin is continuously exposed to harmful UV rays and radiation and does its best to keep it from reaching the organs inside. Being inside a car does not protect exposed skin from radiation or UV light exposure, if anything, it amplifies if. Most car manufacturers install laminated windshields that filter out ultraviolet light and hold the glass together better in the event of trauma (for more on that, read our previous post on the topic). Rear and side windows are typically made of nonlaminated glass, which filters out UVB light, but not UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply and cause significant harm.
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and the diagnosis rates continue to rise despite it being relatively mostly preventable. Studies suggest that people who spend significant time driving a car each week were more likely to develop skin cancers on the left sides of their bodies and faces. And, not-coincidentally, 74% of all melanoma is diagnosed on the left side of the face. Professional drivers and those who have long commutes are twice as likely to be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in their lives. Did you know that in California, skin cancer is the 4th most common cancer diagnosed and the 18th deadliest type of cancer?
Solar Gard® window tint film blocks more than 99% of UV-A and UV-B rays. This is the same as wearing SPF 285 sunscreen. When your windows are tinted with Solar Gard tint film at Jet Black Tint, you can rest assured, that you’re as protected as you can be.
Can we actually make a medical claim like “window tint reduces the risk of skin cancer?” Oh, you bet. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, tinting windows helps block UV rays that are 95% of the cause of skin cancer. Combined with wearing sunscreen or long sleeves, window tint can, indeed, prevent skin cancer. In fact, many top California dermatologists recommend that high-quality window tint be used in all residential, commercial, and school facilities to provide photoprotection in an effort to reduce skin cancer (Edlich, et al., 2004).
As you likely already understand, vision health is critical to driving. If you cannot see the road clearly, you cannot drive. An impaired windshield is a preventable contributing factor to collisions. But, worse than obstructed vision, permanent vision changes caused by driving have a hazardous impact on your overall life. Here are a few common eye conditions that can be caused or worsened by driving.
Cataracts are one of the most common degenerative vision disorders that becomes more prevalent as people age. Cataracts cause blurred vision and hazy eye lenses. Some risk factors include advancing age and genetic disorders, a significant risk factor is exposure to UV radiation, sun glare, and harmful blue light. This is the main reason that it’s highly recommended to wear blue-light shielding glasses while looking at screens, wear sunglasses when in sunlight, and tint your vehicle’s windows. Driving without sunglasses or window tint increases your risk of cataract symptoms and can worsen your condition if you already have cataracts.
Macular degeneration is a progressive eye disease that can cause central blindness over time and is the number one cause of vision loss. The leading cause of macular degeneration is long-term sun exposure without eye protection or with poor UV filtration protection. Under normal conditions, macular degeneration may be slow and progressive, whereas, in people who are exposed to concentrated sunlight — boaters, skiers, and drivers — visual changes can be swift and dramatic.
Window tint film functions as sunglasses for the entire vehicle, effectively filtering out UV-A and UV-B rays. The rich jet-black color prevents reflective glares that behave as lasers shot directly at your inner eye. The window tint film is the next best thing to driving in the dark when the sun is tucked safely beneath the horizon.
Here in California, we are fortunate to be situated between 30 and 40 degrees latitude on westerly shorelines which gives us the sunny coastal weather that makes every day a beach vacation but also intensifies the sun’s rays, making our exposure much more concentrated than those in Oregon or New Jersey. At Jet Black Tint, we offer more than just enhanced curb appeal, we provide your car with a healthy upgrade that protects you and your passengers for the long ride. To filter up to 99% of UV rays and solar radiation, call us to book your window tint installation.