Since sun protection clothing became popular in the United States in 2007, sun protection clothing seems to have become a fashion item. Nowadays, all kinds of sun protection clothing are emerging in endlessly, both online and offline. So can the sun protection clothing you buy really protect you from the sun?

Picture from the Internet

Before discussing sun protection clothing, let’s quickly review the basic knowledge about sun protection.

What is sun protection?

Ultraviolet rays.

Ultraviolet rays are divided into three categories, long wave (UVA), medium wave (UVB) and short wave. Only the first two types can reach the surface of the earth, and it is the first two types that we need to be careful about.

What are the dangers of ultraviolet rays?

Ultraviolet rays (UVA) can cause pigmentation and skin aging, while mid-wave ultraviolet rays (UVB) may cause sunburn and redness of the skin. If you are exposed to ultraviolet rays (UVB) for a long time, your skin may even become cancerous.

Picture from the Internet

After reviewing the basic knowledge, let’s take a look at the issues about sun protection clothing.

Can clothes provide sun protection?

Yes

The sun protection strategy can be summarized in one sentence: avoid, dress, and apply sunscreen. Among them, wearing clothes means "intercepting" ultraviolet rays through clothes.

Different clothes have different abilities to block ultraviolet rays↓↓

Dark clothes are better than light-colored clothes;

The finer the fiber, the stronger the blocking ability;

The denser the weave, the better the sun protection effect of the garment.

Can every piece of clothing be called sun protection clothing?

No

Ordinary clothes can only prevent sunburn, but not sunburn. Therefore, in order to be called sun protection clothing, several conditions must be met.

We all know that sunscreen has two very important indicators: SPF value and PA value. Based on these two values, the sun protection ability of a sunscreen can be judged. Sun protection clothing also has a UPF value as an indicator of sun protection ability.

my country's "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles" stipulates that only when the UPF value (ultraviolet protection factor) of the product is greater than 30 and the UVA (long-wave ultraviolet) transmittance is less than 5%, it can be called "UV protection products".

Image source: "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles"

Can I buy and try any clothes that claim to be "sun protection"?

Of course not

"Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles" is a recommended standard. If you want to mark the UPF value on clothes, you must go through corresponding testing. Therefore, some stores will be cunning, saying "sun protection" on the left and "sun protection" on the right in product introductions, but never mention the UPF value...

Last year, scholars from the Shanghai Institute of Quality Supervision and Inspection Technology , tested the sun protection clothing on the market, and the results showed that those sun protection clothing with "sun protection" and "UPF" logos had a pass rate of 100%. And those clothes that only advertise "sun protection" but do not have the "UPF" logo have a very high failure rate.

Wear sun protective clothing, do you also need to apply sunscreen?

To

avoid, dress, and apply sunscreen, the combination of the three can provide complete protection for the human body. Even if you wear sun protection clothing with UPF>40 and T(UVA)<5%, there will still be some exposed skin, such as hands and neck. For these areas, it is still recommended to apply an appropriate amount of sunscreen.

In particular, we should remind you that the weather has been hot recently, and many people use waterproof sunscreen for the convenience of swimming. According to national regulations, as long as the SPF value does not decrease by more than 50% after bathing, it can be declared "waterproof". That is to say, after swimming, the sun protection effect of sunscreen may be halved, so be sure to reapply it in time (Portal → You need to pay attention to these things about sunscreen).

In short, sun protection clothing provides more protection than ordinary clothing. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to whether there are "sun protection" and "UPF" labels on the clothes.

On the other hand, ultraviolet rays are not without benefits. They can regulate melanin and serotonin and help the body synthesize vitamin D. For adults, proper exposure to the sun every day has great benefits for sleep, mood, and health.

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References

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[4]Jia Manlan, Shen Yueming, Zhu Peiju. Analysis of quality evaluation of sun protection clothing[J]. Progress in Textile Science and Technology, 2018(08): 3942.

[5]RIVA A, ALGABA I, PEPI M, etc. Modeling the Effects of Color on the UV Protection Provided by Cotton Woven Fabrics Dyed with Azo Dyestuffs[J]. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2009, 48( 22): 98179822.

[6] Guo Chuanchuan. Experts explain the quality and testing of "sun protection clothing" [J]. China Fiber Inspection, 2018(6): 20.

[ 7]Xu Changjie, Dong Xiaoyan. The debate over sun protection under the scorching sun explores how to protect sun protection clothing fabrics from the sun[J]. Textile and Apparel Weekly, 2014(23): 1415.

[8]KIM J. Improving Knit Fabric UPF Using Consumer Laundry Products: A Comparison of Results Using Two Instruments[J]. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 2004, 33(2): 141158.

[9]GB/T 18830-2009.pdf [J]. .

[10]National Standards - National Standards Information Public Service Platform [EB/OL]. [2019-07-24]. /gb/search/gbDetailed?id= 71F772D7F67DD3A7E05397BE0A0AB82A.

[11] Yael Adler, illustrated by Katya Spitzer. The Secret of Skin[M]. Translated by Liu Li. Oriental Publishing House, 2019.

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Author: Zhao Yanchang