The 5 most misunderstood facts about UV trackers

Technology has been stepping into the health world more each day. From invasive to non-invasive tech, robotic to wearable, technology has taken on new tasks. This has introduced the monitoring of different health aspects to individuals. Tracking of heart rate, steps taken, and even UV exposure. New to UV monitoring technology? The following is a list of 5 reasons many may be confused about this UV trackers:  

1. They are inaccurate

You might have heard of the articles that point towards inaccuracy from wearables. That includes fitness trackers that don't give exact readings and cause users to think they have been doing less or more exercise than they believe. Why does this happen?

There are a few factors that can lead to a faulty reading. One of the most common reasons can come from the placement of the device. Wrists are the most common spot to wear these devices. Yet depending on the type of reading you are measuring, the wrist may not be the best place to use the device. Other factors like battery life and software issues can also affect accuracy. However, even if there is a possibility of inaccuracy but it is not too significant to label as a misreading.

2. There aren’t many options

UV monitoring is a lot newer than the other features that are more commonly measured, as calories burned and heart rate. Even though UV features are a lot less common, there are a variety of options to measure this, from stickers to other more advanced wearable devices.

Stella is an all-inclusive wristband (which means it has many tracking features), while in use it tracks the time you have been exposed to the sun throughout the day and alerts you when you are close to being overexposed. For just UV tracking there are also wearables out there that can provide that one feature option.

3. They can overheat

If the device is exposed to the sun how can it not get hot? The type of material of the device plays a large role in how it reacts to heat from the sun. There is a low chance that you can get burned by the device itself due to warming because the materials used for devices are usually poor conductors of heat. This can range from rubber to silicone. If your device starts to feel hot it is a good option to take it off, get out of the sun, and contact the company to get further instructions about the overheating. 

4. They are invasive

There are two types of invasiveness that you may be thinking when it comes to health technology. That is, physically invasive and data invasive. A way health technology can be physically invasive is that it needs to go into the body in order to work. This is not the case for wearables.

Although having a deeper connection to the body would cause better results, there is a way to get a statistically significant reading by using an accelerometer and gyroscope for contact on the skin. Data invasive is the type that scares most people. Having the fear that someone can hack or see your personal health data is a large concern when tech meets health. Technology must keep up with security measures and do constant actualization of these safety features to keep these hacks at bay.

5. The data is not important

Have you ever thought about tracking your UV exposure? Very unlikely. A 2010 and 2015 study by National Health shows that adults 18-29 are among the most likely to get sunburned, being that 47% reported they did. What factors could cause so many people to get sunburned?

Lack of sun safety or understanding of it can have a big impact. UV damage to the skin can cause many problems, from wrinkles to skin cancer. This data is important, especially if you have sensitive skin or if you want to reduce the incidence of skin cancer or many more reasons to keep your health in good standing.