Sun/UV protective clothes

[cambionn@feddit.nl]

More context/info below ⬇️

So do you use UPF clothes? What are your favorites? How you combine them to still look nice and fashionable?

Currently, I have a few hoodies from Uniqlo, some boleros and scarfs from Ker Sun, and both full-arm length & short gloves from Sunday Afternoons and Coolibar. I otherwise just wear jeans, t-shirts + undershirts and a baseball cap in summer.

---

More context/info:

We all know how bad sun damage is for your skin right? It's the number one ager for your skin and biggest cause of skin cancer. I also have PLE (sun allergy) so it's extra important for me. Allergic reactions ain't cute, and having to use heavy medical creams to deal with that isn't great for my skin either due to it's side effects. So prevention is best.

I already wear sunscreen (with good UVA & UVB protection) religiously, but at times it doesn't work ideal (when you're too busy to always reaply in time, sweating a lot, rubbing it off on furniture, etc.) and sometimes you just wanna be lazy and not spend 15 minutes applying it to your whole body to walk to the store nearby.

Hence UV protective clothes (or UPF clothes, as UPF is the rating of UV-blockage). You know, those kinda clothes you see Asians covering themselves with. Protection can be archieved by fabric, weave, colour, and additives like zinq-oxide. Additives however will wash out over time, whereas clothes not relying on them will work until the fabric degrades.

Some pro's are that UPF clothes keep working without needing to be reapplicated for any bodypart that's covered, and they protect from both UVA and UVB, wheras SPF ratings only measure UVB blocking. Using them also saves money over using sunscreen as covered bodyparts don't need sunscreen making me run out less quick.

Yes, regular clothes cover too but their protection is a guess game. A white cotton shirt would have a UPF rating of 3~7 for example. Traditional blue jeans are quite high (100+), but the same jeans in white or thinner fabrics are much lower (not even meeting European standards to be called UV-protective). UPF clothes are tested and certified. In the EU, they need a rating of UPF40 or higher to be allowed to be marketed as "UV-protective".

UV-protective clothes are also often made to still be comfortable in hot weather, wheras other clothes that protect as much might be thicker and warmer. At times it may even be more comfortable than bare skin due to blocking direct sun hitting you and using cooling fabrics.

Sadly most are simple plain (sport)shirts or longsleeves, which is boring after a while, or swimwear. Hence this topic.

Some brands who make UPF clothes:

• Uniqlo
• Ker Sun
• Coolibar
• Solbari
• Sunday Afternoons
• Columbia
• Hyphen
• UV.LINE
• Skinshield
• iq-uv
• REI
• UVSkinz
• Patagonia