To wonder why more adults don't wear rash vests

[Hardingham291]

On holiday in Greece, it's 41 degrees and rising. I'm wearing my long sleeved rash vest in the pool. It's so easy, don't have to worry about how long I've been in the water for or re applying the sun cream all over my body. Its also great for keeping cool if you leave it on after a swim.

A few kids are wearing them but I'm the only adults. So many burnt shoulders here. Why aren't they a 'thing'?

Horses for courses. I'd prefer to enjoy the pool and sea freely and not have to keep reapplying suncream

😆 is that why they burn?

I wouldn't just round the pool - but then I'm not in and out that frequently so can top up the suncream. But we always wear them at waterparks because you are just so exposed all day long! Yes you can top up sunscreen - but even the so-called water-resistant ones just can't cope with all the friction and action of waterslides!

We learned the hard way when we took our children abroad for the first time - and DD had slightly sore shoulders despite my best efforts. Now all four of us wear short sleeved swim shirts every year - and always notice the bright red idiots who are going to suffer the next day!

Obvs young kids wear full bodysuits so it's not an issue......

Yes if you're doing a water sport like paddle boarding but not around a swimming pool on holiday

British Australian here. Wow, a terrifying amount of the comments thread seems to be joining the melanoma waiting line. I’ve never seen so much public lack of awareness of sun safety all in one place. In Aus, the skin cancer capital of the world (and where kids are not allowed to play outside at school if they have forgotten to bring their sun hat), adults absolutely do wear rashies. Long sleeved swimsuits are available too, which are awesome.

Here’s some basic sun safety information in the hope that even though it might come across as sounding like a bore, if it prevents even one person from getting a completely preventable melanoma or other skin cancer then it’s worth it:

• out bodies were not designed to be outside in the sun. That claim only makes sense if you are also happy to claim things like most of us are designed to die in childbirth before the age of 25 or dead by other causes by age 40.
• no amount of tan is safe. Tanning is literally skin damage from UV exposure. If you’re not worried about skin cancer you probably care about premature aging. Every tan (or burn) accelerates that.
• people with darker skin pigmentation are still at risk of skin damage from UV.
• you burn faster in water because UV reflects off the surface of the water.
• the time of day with strongest UV is around midday, not when it’s hottest outside. The strength of UV is related to where the sun is in the sky, not temperature.
• covering up (and keeping out of the sun during the midday hours) is more effective UV protection than sunscreen (but always wear sunscreen!).

I w found them hard to buy in the UK until recently. I guess the explosion of online shopping has made things easier. We first came across them about 15 years ago in Oz and used to get relatives to send them over when the kids were small, then Amazon pomade things easier and Shein have great options these days. I’m a burner and so are my pale kids so we have a mix of swimwear for hot climates but they did burn when they went with their dad (ex dp) who didn’t enforce the use of them. I’ve mostly seen kids in them though as adults abroad from the uk are usually there for their tan!! I’ve never tanned so don’t see the point in burning.

In addition to my rash guard, I have this long sleeve swimsuit.

When I was on holiday in Australia rash vests were recommended, as I was told, sun cream helps towards destroying the sea’s environment.

Landsend online - regularly reduced and on sale - all sizes

It was so funny, we live in Aus and most people wear them here of course. When we came back to the U.K. and it was hot, seeing people part deathly pale, part bright red reinforced for all of us why they’re such a good idea!
When we’re on holiday I don’t wear one all the time but if I’m in the water a lot I do because it’s so much less faff than putting on sun screen and I always miss a bit.

I posted yesterday to say I always wear one. We are in Austria at one of the swimming lakes you pay to access - has slides , inflatables , it’s very hot and not a cloud. There are probably about 1000 people here. I am the only adult woman wearing one to swim, husband the only adult man. I’ve seen one person on a sup wearing one and one child.

Also the price!

A bottle of factor 50 is around £7-8.

my eldest will easily go through 4 bottles on a 2 week beach holiday wearing a bikini.

£32 for one holiday. Vs a £30 rash vest which will last 3-5 years minimum for multiple holidays.

plus less packaging, waste etc.

We were at a water park in Greece last year and it was 30 degrees + and full sun and the only people I saw in rash vests in the whole place were my family and one other, who also turned out to be Australian 😁
We were in the sun and water for 7 hours and would have been burned to a crisp without one, or had the faff of reapplying sun cream every hour or more. As it was I managed to burn my hair parting and it was so painful, but I was grateful that it was only that one little bit.

I've only ever used mine for diving and snorkeling, that's what they are for. We are frequent visitors to the Med, as we have a place out there and never seen anyone wearing one, not even children. They prefer to encourage children to strip off.

I wear one, whether I'm at the pool or the beach. But then I'm a fair-haired pasty-white bald bloke with vitiligo and a family history of skin cancer. I need all the help I can get!

Sunbathing isn't 'natural' sun exposure though! If you're out in all weather, inevitably you will get more sun exposure. It makes sense to minimise your sun exposure if you're not used to it, others you're effectively binge drinking! I am supposed to get plenty of sunshine to combat my psoriasis. But they're still not saying get out and sunbathe. I'm still advised to take precautions in the sun. Especially anything high or above on the UV scale (if its E - very common in a lot of countries, yeah, you should definitely be under clothing)

They are not used exclusively, or “meant”, for diving and snorkelling. A stroll down any popular Australian beach would open your eyes to that fact.

I wear one in the Med, even on dry land.

NRTFT
We all wear them or else plenty of suncream. Family history of melanoma so can't take any chances! Rash vests for me are less hassle than suncream but each to their own 🤷🏻‍♀️

I get equally annoyed with people not wearing hats in the sun, especially not putting hats on children, also older bald/balding people. So much skin cancer around and really difficult to put suntan lotion on your head.