
Eyes and skin protected in a touch!
The "Sole Amico" (friendly sun) app launched by CDV and UNIPRO suggests the best way to protect eyes and skin based on the strength of UV rays Summer, sun and fun: all this should be enjoyed in a way that is as safe as possible for our health and our eyes and skin first and foremost. In this era of bits, iPhones and wireless networks, where everything is fast and where we must have everything and immediately, the answer is a simple, functional and free app! Like the one created by the collaboration between Commissione Difesa Vista and UNIPRO, the Association of Italian cosmetics companies: the Sole Amico app for enjoying sunshine without worry. «The idea is to provide a tool that gives real-time advice on the best way to protect the eyes and skin», explained CDV president Vittorio Tabacchi. «And aimed at preventing damage to health by taking external conditions (location, time and UV rays) and the user's particular phototype (eye color, skin type, age) into consideration», added Fabio Rossello, UNIPRO president. After making its debut at the last Mido, it is now being launched in an important communication campaign to make it the must-have "protection" for summer 2012. Over 15 million Italians now own smartphones. The Sole Amico application can spread the culture of protection through the intelligent combination of information, games, entertainment and multimedia. An app that's fun but most of all useful! It gives information about radiation levels (the intensity of UV rays) in a certain location at a specific time of the day and matches it with the phototype information inserted by the user. Made-to-measure advice that is "packaged" to ensure that the being outdoors is safe as well as enjoyable. It is a reliable tool with specialized physicians (ophthalmologists and dermatologists) providing scientific information that conforms to the directives in national and international medical-scientific literature. But let's take a closer look at what the Sole Amico app offers. • PHOTOTYPE: do you know your phototype? Find out by answering a few simple questions and then save a profile for the whole family. • DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?: an entertaining game tests your knowledge of protection in the city, at the coast, in the mountains, hills or countryside. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn about protection in a just a few seconds. • SUN QUIZ: an instructive and interesting quiz reveals the secrets of sun protection and explodes many of the myths. Passed or failed? Find out in a touch! • ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS: a dermatologist and ophthalmologist explain the best way to protect your skin and eyes from UV rays all year round. During the year, the application is updated – and always free – with new information, multimedia contributions and curiosities. Thanks to Sole Amico on your iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone you can get real-time UV forecasts for thousands of locations in Italy and at the same time find the best protection for your phototype. It will help you to plan where to go, your trips and summer vacations and, above all, it's a new way of putting across a message about health and protection. The app world is in constant movement. The App Store was opened July 10, 2008, and since then over 25 billion applications have been downloaded free or on payment at an average rate of 18 million a day. A really incredible number by a public that is highly attracted to new technologies. By leveraging this predilection the Sole Amico app aims to create a common terrain that will also share the value of informed travel, health and protection! These are essential actions given that Italians pay little attention to eye health: 20% of adults have never had an eye exam, 30% never, or almost never, wear sunglasses, even though they own a few pairs, and 18% wear them only rarely. Sunshine is a "friend" when it comes to our health, but we must be careful about how we take it and for how long. In small doses and with correct exposure, sunshine helps the body to produce vitamin D, for example. However, if we overdo it or do not take the necessary precautions, the benefits can become hazards. The sun's rays can be harmful for the skin and lead to burning, erythema and even the development of tumors over time. This is why it is essential to use sun protection products because they are the most powerful allies for keeping our skin healthy and protected. Paraphrasing a famous song puts it in a nutshell - «where will you go if you don't have an app?». Never pack your case without consulting the Sole Amico app! Happy traveling to you all!