Can I get burnt through a Sun Protection Garment?

Yes, you can. Yes, it is very much possible to get burnt through a sun protection garment.

There are so many factors that can contribute to inadequate sun protection.

A sun protection garment is just an extra layer of protection against our harsh damaging sun and can be an effective defence against skin burning, skin cancers, melanoma and premature skin ageing.

Although it is highly unlikely that you will get burnt through one of our Artesands sun protection sun safe tops and sun suits it is important that the appropriate garment size, age of garment and care is taken to achieve maximum sun protection.

The sun can still penetrate through a garment especially if the garment is stretched, old, faded or deteriorated.

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ten tips for the best defence against sunburn

10 tips for the best defence against sunburn whilst wearing one of our curvy girl sun protection sun safe top or sun safe swimsuit:

1. Stay out of the sun (Boring! we don’t really like this one)
2. Don’t go out in the sun during the middle of the day, yes we have all heard this before, avoid going outside between the hours of 10am – 2pm.
3. Reduce the number of hours you are exposing yourself to direct sunlight.
4. Put sunscreen on even under your sun protection swimsuit if you are going to be in the sun for long hours and be in and out of the water. The UPF protection of your garment decreases when wet.
5. Wear a perfectly fitting garment, make sure your swimsuit isn’t too small. Sun exposure can happen if the fabric is stretched at full stretch.
6. Make sure your sun safe swimsuit is a relaxed fit, especially across the shoulders because stretching the material reduces UPF. If the sun safe garment is too big, however, it may become difficult to swim in and uncomfortable when wet, so it is important to choose the correct fit.
7. Colour can also affect the UPF factor, Darker colours and more intense bright shades can provide more protection than light colours.
8. Exposure to the sun, sweat, sunscreen and chlorine can break down our beautiful fabrication, and repeated washing may gradually remove optical brighteners and other chemicals that block UV therefore decreasing the UPF factor of our garment.
9. Wash your garment after each wear correctly to help your sun safe swimsuit last. Click through here to read up on how to care for your swimsuit correctly
10. Update your sun protection swimsuit regularly, an old sun top that has damage from sun, sand, salt, abrasions, chemicals (like chlorine), fake tans, sunscreens and body oils, will become see through and if a garment is see through, definitely the sun can penetrate.

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What is upf?

Ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is a measure applied to fabrics that informs us of how much of the sun's UV radiation is blocked, and therefore how much protection it provides. A UPF of 50 allows 1/50 or 2% of UV radiation to penetrate, while a UPF of 5 lets 1/5 or 20% of UV radiation through.

The highest sun protective rating for fabrics available currently is UPF50+. This is almost the same as wearing SPF50+ sunscreen all day long without the need to reapply it. Sun safe tops and swimsuits with UPF50+ block about 98% of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.

Click through here to see all our curve fit and plus size sun protection and sun safe garments

Ultimately, it's better to be safe than sorry, and buy and replace your sun safe swimsuits regularly.