What is the difference between sun protection suits priced at tens and hundreds of yuan? After watching, don't waste money fiber | UV | sun protection

Although autumn has already begun, the intensity of the sun's ultraviolet rays is still very strong. In addition, people mainly wear short clothing in their daily lives, and the exposed area of the skin is larger, which increases the risk of UV damage to the human body. Sunscreen clothing has become a choice for many people.

Faced with countless styles of sunscreen clothing on shopping platforms, a headache inducing question lies ahead: how to choose sunscreen clothing? Is it true that the more expensive the better?

Draw a conclusion first

Please follow the national standard when choosing sunscreen clothing.

Cheap sunscreen clothes with national standards are also good.

Choosing light colors for summer sun protection clothing is more comfortable.

Sunscreen clothing should be replaced after 3 years.

It's best not to use sunscreen clothes as raincoats.

How do sunscreen suits protect against sun damage

Before choosing a sunscreen suit that suits you, let's first understand the sun protection principles of sunscreen suits.

The fabric of everyday clothing actually has a certain degree of UV protection function. Because when ultraviolet rays are irradiated on the surface of clothing, phenomena such as reflection, scattering, and absorption occur. As a result, the amount of ultraviolet rays that pass through the fabric and reach the surface of the human skin will be reduced, and the damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet rays will be reduced.

The working principle of sunscreen clothing is the same, but it is made more professionally than ordinary clothing.

At present, sunscreen clothing fabrics generally follow two principles to achieve UV protection:

1. Shielding principle: Enhance the reflection and scattering effect of the fabric on ultraviolet rays, such as coating the inner layer of the fabric with shielding agents or adding shielding agents to the fibers of the fabric;

2. Absorption principle: Enhance the absorption of ultraviolet rays by the fabric. After absorbing ultraviolet rays, the energy is converted into heat energy for release or harmless low-energy radiation. For example, when dyeing fabrics, choose dyes that have good UV absorption, or apply anti UV absorbent coating finishing to the fabric.

Choose sunscreen clothing, just look at this label

In China, the most basic requirement for sun protection textile products is to meet the provisions of the national standard GB/T18830-2009 "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles", which states that "UV protection textiles must achieve UPF>40 and UVA transmittance<5% in order to be called UV protection products.".

Why choose these two indicators?

Among them, the UV protection coefficient refers to the ratio of the average UV radiation effect calculated when the skin is unprotected to the average UV radiation effect calculated when the skin is protected by fabric. The higher the UPF value, the better the UV protection performance of the textile.

However, consumers do not need to blindly pursue high UPF values. A UPF value of 50 can achieve high UV protection performance, and even higher UPF values have little significance in improving the UV protection performance of textiles.

And UVA is the longest wavelength part of ultraviolet radiation, with strong penetration power, which can directly reach the dermis of the skin, destroy elastic fibers and collagen fibers. The lower the transmission rate of UVA, the better the anti ultraviolet performance of textiles.

The most direct basis for consumers to choose sunscreen clothing is that the product must have clear markings that meet the national standard GB/T18830-2009 "Evaluation of UV Protection Performance of Textiles". The identification content must include the following parts:

The standard number, namely GB/T18830-2009

When 40<UPF ≤ 50, it is marked as UPF40+. When UPF>50, mark as UPF50+;

The protection provided by this product may be reduced in long-term use and under stretching or moisture conditions.

The more expensive sunscreen clothing is, the better?

Should I choose dark or light colors?

At present, the prices of sun protection clothing sold in the market range from tens of yuan to hundreds of yuan. In fact, considering the overall cost of fabric, design, and craftsmanship, sun protection clothing with the above identification and over a hundred yuan can be purchased with confidence. It is not recommended to purchase sun protection clothing that is too cheap.

Some sun protection suits are sold at a high price, and a large part of them include factors such as brand premium and design style. While meeting national standards, their UV protection functions for the skin are not significantly different.

In addition, many friends are conflicted about color issues.

Thick and dark colored clothing has better UV protection performance, as most of the UV rays are absorbed by the clothing fabric, greatly reducing the amount of UV rays that reach the skin surface through the fabric. However, in the scorching summer, the inherent physical sun protection advantage of thick dark colored clothing becomes a disadvantage. This type of fabric absorbs a large amount of ultraviolet rays, causing the temperature of the clothing itself to rise, making people feel stuffy.

Professional sunscreen clothing can provide sufficient and effective UV protection, and the color and thickness of the clothing are not the most critical factors for UV protection. In this case, light colored lightweight sunscreen clothing can be chosen to achieve a comfortable and sunscreen effect.

How long does it take to replace sunscreen clothing?

The UV protection performance of sunscreen clothing will gradually decrease with use, as clearly stated in the national standard label point 3 that the sunscreen clothing must be equipped with.

The main factors that affect the performance of sunscreen clothing include: duration of use, ambient temperature, sweating and soaking, washing frequency, and daily wear and tear.

For example, long-term exposure to sunlight, repeated folding and stretching of clothing while wearing, and soaking in sweat and heat can gradually damage the fabric and anti UV coating, weakening their anti UV performance. The washing process can cause the anti UV coating on the surface of the fabric to peel off, resulting in a decrease in the anti UV performance of the fabric. In addition, the fabric of sunscreen clothing is generally thin, and when worn, the surface may experience loose fabric structure, which increases the transmittance of ultraviolet rays.

As an ordinary consumer, it is difficult to test the UV protection performance of the fabric before use, but a rough judgment can still be made through visual observation. When the fabric of sunscreen clothing fades, sags, penetrates light, and deforms, consumers should consider changing to a new sunscreen clothing.

There are also scientific studies indicating that sunscreen clothing that has been used for 3 years will lose 100% of its UV protection performance, and this duration of use can also serve as a reference for updating sunscreen clothing.

Nowadays, many sunscreen suits claim to have waterproof and splash proof properties. It is not a big deal for consumers to treat sunscreen suits as temporary raincoats in light rain weather, as they generally do not significantly damage the sun protection performance of the clothes. However, it is still not recommended to use sunscreen clothing as raincoats, mainly because the waterproof and splash proof functions of sunscreen clothing cannot achieve the continuous rainproof function; At the same time, it is recommended to use specialized clothing for specific protective purposes in order to maximize the effectiveness of clothing design.

In addition to sunscreen clothing, many people choose measures such as wearing umbrellas and ice sleeves to protect themselves from the sun.

Umbrellas can effectively block direct sunlight, but cannot block sunlight reflected or scattered from the ground or other objects; Ice sleeves are mainly used for sun protection on the arms and also as a local sunscreen. Sunscreen clothing such as sun suits, umbrellas, and ice sleeves are all effective tools for sun protection. It is recommended that consumers choose the most suitable sun protection measures based on specific scenarios.