The Best Hats to Protect You from The Sun to Prevent Premature Aging, According to Dermatologists

While skin cancer anywhere on the body is a major concern—and a reason to slather on plenty of high-quality SPF early and often—about 90% of all skin cancers are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. These two uber-common cancers frequently manifest on the head and neck, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

This is where hats can come in clutch: "Hats are a really important part of sun protection," says Channa Ovits, M.D., a dermatologist at Westmed Medical Group in Westchester, New York. Especially for those who have less hair on their scalp, but really for all people, a hat is the best way to reliably protect the part of their body facing the sun. "Chemical sunblocks need time to absorb to become effective and physical sunblocks need thorough application, while hats work immediately and consistently. A hat doesn't come off when you sweat or need to be reapplied. The brim of a hat helps keep the sun off your nose and neck, two areas that get a lot of sun exposure."

Plus, they can also help you stop squinting from the sun, which can lead to those pesky around-eye skin wrinkles, adds Annie Gonzalez, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology in Miami.

The best hats for optimal sun protection:

• Are more than visors; seek out a cap with a top that covers your entire head.
• Have 3 inches of brim, ideally angled downward, to shade the face, neck, ears while covering the scalp.
• Are tightly-woven with a fabric like canvas or denim, or another fabric made with ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) 50 fabric that's proven to block 98% of the sun's UV rays.
• Come in bright or dark colors (beyond white) that can absorb UV radiation better than light hues.

A brimmed or bucket hat is ideal to protect the forehead, nose and ears, while a flap hat/legionnaire's hat (the kind with the neck protection flap) is ideal for covering your neck and nose. A baseball cap lands in the middle, above a visor but below those fully-brimmed options, according to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.

A good rule of thumb from Dr. Ovits: "With hats, the bigger, the better. Simply put, you get more sun coverage with a larger brim. A baseball cap, though definitely better than no hat, gives no coverage to your neck or ears."

4 of the Best Hats to Protect You from The Sun to Prevent Premature Aging

Read on for sun hats with all of the expert-recommended elements, all of which can be ordered online and delivered to your door. Remember that even the best sun protection hat doesn't cover all of your skin coverage needs, so wear sunscreen and a hat—plus protective clothing—to max out the anti-aging and cancer-preventing qualities, Dr. Gonzalez suggests. We've ordered the sun hats here from most to least (but still far better than nothing) coverage.

Lanzom Women's 5 ½-Inch Big Bowknot Straw Hat