Summer is the season of fun at the beach and there is plenty of sunlight making it imperative to put on sun protective swimwear . Whilst the great pastime time during this period is sun bathing, the greatest danger lurking along beaches and swimming pools is ultra violet rays from the sun.
Ultra violet rays are emissions from the sun that has the potential of causing damage to unprotected skin surface.
Sun protective swimwear are clothing that we put on to fend off the negative effects that these radiations can have on the body.
The manufacture of sun protective swimwear is an elaborate process. Although the clothes themselves are made up of ordinary, everyday fabrics, it is the lining and the special treatment of the clothes that turn them into sun protective swimwear.
One technology is to use durable, breathable, lightweight, and very comfortable fabric with a 4-way stretch. The inner part of the fabric is lined with the ultra violet light protective coating. If the sun protective swimwear is going to be used for swimming in a pool, then it is made from chlorine resistant swim fabric.
For people who are highly sensitive to sunrays or photosensitive skin or skin cancer, the choice is high-SPF clothing. These contain containing colorless compounds, and treated resins that absorb ultra violet light.
The essence of sun protective swimwear is to reflect as much as possible, the dangerous ultra violet rays from the sun as much as possible. This means, shiny, silky or reflective clothing are the best.
Another technique is to use tightly woven micro fiber containing enhanced titanium dioxide which diffuses ultra violet light and CoolMax mesh to ensure ventilation and moisture management.
There are several types of sun protective swimwear available. There are some for babies, some for men and some for women. Between these we have ordinary and high end designer swimwear. Although all of them have the protection against the sun, there are vast differences in quality of fabric, design and appearance.
There are some sun protective swimwear that cover the entire body and some that are just top wear, shorts or pants.
With the high end fashion, you can have two, three and even sometimes four piece sun protective swimwear with a hat or sunglasses to match.
Of increasing popularity are men’s sun protective swimwear comprising of a shirt, shorts and matching glasses. These products are both in the regular version and high end fashion.
Before we get on to why we need sun protective swimwear , it may be helpful to look at ultra violet rays. Ultraviolet rays (UV) or radiation is the invisible rays that are part of the energy that comes from the sun. UV radiation can damage the skin, cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer. There are two types of UV rays – there is the UVA which causes ordinary sun burn and the UVB which penetrate deeper into the skin to cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer.
Physiologically, overexposure to UV radiation can disturb the body’s immune system and the skin’s natural defenses.
Sun protective swimwear offers you a kind of filtering against these harmful rays. People most susceptible to these rays are those with light clothing and in areas where there is no overhead protection like the beach. Sun protective swimwear is also needed during summer when the sun shines a lot and consequently emits more ultra violet rays.
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