Sun-safety
Lanuuk are here to challenge tradition and give you an alternative. We want to be part of a movement of brands helping to eliminate the stigma surrounding full-coverage swimwear and a way we can help do that is to, quite frankly, make it look irresistibly good, functional and accessible to more women.
Fashion and style have the power to transcend through our differences and serve as a tool of communication and solidarity between us. Together we can redefine what looks good to wear on the beach or poolside to include the full-coverage swimsuit option.
There are clear functions of full-coverage swimwear beyond modesty and style. Not only does it look chic, classic and timeless, it protects you from the sun. Check out our sunsafety blog post for more info and to help you formulate your own sun protection strategy. Here’s what you should know about sun protection and how your Lanuuk swimsuit can help:
- Lanuuk use UPF 50+ Sun Protection Fabric. Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) tells you how much UV radiation (both UVB and UVA) a fabric allows to reach your skin. When we say our swimsuits are UPF 50+, this means the fabric can block over 98% of the sun’s rays and only allows less than 2% (or 1/50th) to penetrate the suit. So, your Lanuuk swimsuit doesn’t just look great on you, it also has the ability to block harmful UV radiation and it is one of the most effective forms of protection against sun damage and skin cancer. There are fabrics that offer a UPF of 30 to 49, which are good, while UPF 50+ rates as excellent, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
- Many people wonder, how does UPF differ from SPF? UPF measures the amount of UV radiation that can penetrate a fabric and reach your skin, whereas SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, measures the time it takes for UV-exposed skin to redden. For example, if you normally burn after 20 minutes, an SPF 30 sunscreen, if used correctly, can protect your skin 30 times longer. Also, SPF only measures UVB rays, not UVA.
- Wear your sunscreen. Wearing our sun protection swimwear is the simplest way to stay safe because not like sunscreen, you never need to reapply. To us, this is one of the key benefits of wearing our swimsuits. Say goodbye to that sticky sunscreen feeling on your body and not knowing how to get the grease off of your hands! Without sun safe swimwear, the recommendation is for you to apply about 2 tablespoons of sunscreen to your entire body about 30 minutes before going out in the sun and for you to reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating…that’s potentially a fair bit of re-applying and a great deal of money spent on sun protection that’ll just wash off!
- Start at the top. Experts say that the sun’s rays act very similarly to the effect of bleach on hair. It reacts with the hair's melanin and strips the color in an irreversible chemical reaction. It can also damage the hair’s cuticle and protein, which is called keratin. This is where our Swim Turbans can help as they’re also made using UPF50+ fabric. However, for more protection for your face, we recommend using your favorite broad-spectrum sunscreen for your face, UV-filtering sunglasses for your eyes and a wide-brimmed and tight knit hat for added protection. The right hat can protect overlooked areas like your ears and the back of your neck, which are in fact areas at risk of common types of skin cancers.
- The sun can be sneaky! The UV rays that can cause premature aging and skin cancer can reach you even when it’s cloudy or bouncing off the water and sand. So, you can’t assume that you’re protected as long as the sun isn’t directly shining on you. People also don’t realize that sun damage accumulates over time so get in the habit of examining your skin and checking for irregularities. You can also see a dermatologist for a professional skin exam.