Welcome to FSWL: Sun Protective Clothing

Hello, I am Eva, founder of this brand of sun protection clothing that, I hope, you will let me accompany you and your family in the summer months. I want to tell you my story so that you understand why this project was born and why responsible enjoyment of the sun is necessary.

Diagnosis: Sun allergy

I remember being under 18 when one summer after a multi-day hike in the mountains, my legs became swollen and the skin was covered in huge, red, raised welts accompanied by excruciating pain . I ended up in the emergency room of a small town that I don’t remember with my legs bandaged and with an unusual first diagnosis in those years:
-He is allergic to the sun, he cannot be exposed to ultraviolet rays.
– Me: Excuse me, what do you say?

18 years old, all day in shorts or a bikini and wanting to look tanned like any girl from the 80’s. That was the beginning of some hellish summers, where areas of my body were revealed as soon as I was in the sun and they were more numerous every year: the neckline, the arms, the shoulders, the belly, the thighs, the face! The third day of vacation was spent lying in bed like a paella, smeared with creams, taking corticosteroids and without being able to rub against my clothes and crying like a cupcake (especially because I couldn’t be tan). Even if I didn’t literally lie down to sunbathe, just walking, living outdoors… it was enough for the allergy not to forgive me and every year it reappeared on my skin with more violence .

Every summer I went through various treatments , pills, creams, UVA rays, yes rays! Years ago, dermatologists prescribed it as a preventive measure (a few rays to get the skin used to before the holidays), something that was discovered a few years ago to be an aberration and that cabin UVA rays are carcinogenic. They are prohibited in many countries, a pending issue for ours.

It took me a long time to get used to this ailment, and above all to listen to the tagline every time I came back from the summer:

–Wow, haven’t you gone on vacation? You’re white!– .

How I learned to protect myself from the sun

In the end I learned to have my white skin, to coexist with the sun and take its measure . Until a few years ago, sun protection clothing did not exist, not even the typical water sports t-shirts. So I dressed with my own inventions, scarves accompanied by mittens, hats, long sleeves… I learned a lot about fabrics , putting on a cotton T-shirt on the beach the allergy came out the same, I discovered that natural fabrics let solar radiation pass , and the semi-transparent kaftans I don’t even tell you. This is one of the reasons why UPF clothing is made of polyesters, they have a very tight weave capable of blocking them – it does not mean that all polyesters are UPF.

Zazou Cape® , the solution to enjoy the sun

From all this experience the Zazou® cape was born , a garment designed and tested perfect for enjoying the outdoors with the greatest protection and comfort. The garment that I would have liked to have when my children were little. Because the best habit I learned was not to be in the sun between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, which is when UV rays reach their maximum radiation. You can see it because the sun is vertical to the earth and does not cast your shadow. There I discovered that the Zazou® layer is our best ally, because you can continue enjoying and living outdoors but protected. Sun protection clothing provides you with safe and long-lasting protection, and you also avoid spreading cream all over your body throughout the day.The habits that I have been practicing all my life with myself and my children, today are the habits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the population, because ultraviolet rays cause skin cancer and skin aging .

Today I can say that I am happy not to have "sunbathed" my skin without wrinkles (at my age) appreciates it, and I truly tell you that the best anti-wrinkle treatment is sun protection. And yes, I presume by saying that I look 10 years younger, and I can assure you that it has been because I didn't spend my summers “back and forth”.

The allergy that I was diagnosed with is called PLE, Polymorphic Light Eruption , and it affects one in six women in Europe. It is not serious but it is very annoying and once it appears, it can take days to disappear. Every year there are more cases. The sun is becoming more and more harmful and there is already scientific evidence that the damage it causes to our skin is not only irreparable, but also adds up every summer.

It is absolutely essential to protect the little ones because a burn in childhood is a possible melanoma in the future. This sadly is also scientific evidence.

Every year more than 7000 new cases of melanoma are detected in Spain, increasingly in younger people, and 90% of cases could be avoided with good sun education.

I would love for you to stay here, and if you subscribe to the newsletter you will receive the next post so you won’t miss it and we can continue chatting about improving our health and that of our loved ones.

I wish you a happy and protected summer.

Eva Zorzo

Founder of From Sun With Love

In the photo: With my eldest son in 2009, the only option you could find for sun protection: rain shirts or swimsuits.

But throughout the day, most of the time, we are not in the water, how do we protect ourselves then? Do you apply sunscreen all over your body exactly every two hours in the recommended amount? The solution is From Sun With Love UPF garments to enjoy in the sun .