I was blessed with pale skin and a bald head. In other words, a nightmare for West Africa. After years of neglecting sun protection, I ended up with a basil cell carcinoma, a kind of skin cancer. Needless to say, I take the sun a bit more seriously now. Here is what I use to keep my head — and the rest of my body — protected.

Long Sleeve UPF 50 Shirts

Limiting exposure is the best way to avoid sun damage, but it’s hard to do when we spend a good part of the day on a scooter. These shirts are one piece of the puzzle. They are lightweight and breathable and you will never get burned. I have five or so that I picked up at Decathlon, but you can find them at any outdoor recreation type store. There are also heaps on Amazon.

UPF 50 Neck Gaiter 

Here is your neck and face protection in one. Like the shirts, these are lightweight and breathable. If it is hot and dry, I will dunk the gaiter in water and ring it out. The gaiter will dry as you are riding. Natural air conditioning.

UPF 50 Sun Protection Gloves  

Our hands are one of the most exposed body parts when we are riding. These gloves do the trick. Again, lightweight and breathable. You can buy fingerless gloves (I guess your finger tips can’t get skin cancer?) or gloves specially designed for touch screens if you still need to be able to use your phone.

Sunglasses

I have astigmatism so bad in that my right eyeball is shaped more like a football than a sphere. I’ve been told that a cornea transplant is in my future. I certainly don’t need the sun messing with my rods and cones. I have prescription sunglasses that are more or less always on during daylight hours.

Helmet with Sunshield

The helmet offers some heavy duty protection for my head and the sunshield is a nice addition. When we are not riding, I am wearing a hat. The next addition to my repertoire will be a broad brimmed hat but for the moment I make do with a ball cap.

Sunblock

If I’m wearing all of the above with jeans and closed toe shoes, I don’t have any skin exposed. This is not always the case, though. I always travel with a sunscreen that is at least SPF 50. And I use it liberally.

I was not this deliberate with my sun protection efforts in the past. A couple of basil cell carcinoma diagnoses will certainly change your thinking. Here is a short video with some of the gear mentioned: