Monday, April 9, 2018

Travelling To the Tropics? What To Look For In A Protective Swimsuit - and swim shoes

Problem
I want a swimsuit for the tropics with long arms and boy legs. I want my forearms which are out of the water protected from the sun. But not to pay a fortune. My Waveline zip-up swimsuit (bought from Mustafa's in Singapore) was admired in the indoor pool in London.  Several ladies asked where I bought it. I told them to look online. I looked down at my arms and thought, I'm developing freckles or age spots. I need to cover up more.

Answers
Which size? I know that Chinese sizes are designed for slim Asian girls. I always need 3X in Singapore and Asian countries and sometimes 4X in jackets. When buying jackets to go on top of other sleeved garments I find it safer to wear batwing styles.

I went online at Amazon and selected several outfits. You have a lot of choice. You can have full suits down to the ankle for diving. Full cover against mosquitos.

Tankini
I looked at several tankini style outfits. They offer the advantage that if one half doesn't fit, too tight, too loose, wrong colour, wet, you can swap with half of another set.

However, the disadvantage of the tankini style, like a tee-shirt with short or long-legged pants, is that it rides up when swimming. This is inelegant, and hampers movement.

Boy leg
Why boy leg? Modesty. No need to shave legs and bikini line. Less likely to ride up and cut you like a string or thong. Less risk of them being skimpy at the back and showing buttocks or feeling uncomfortable.

Boy legs slim down the appearance of heavy thighs. Make your body look longer and taller. covers more against mosquitos and sun. Hide stretch marks, appendix scars, Caesarians and other scars.

Why short sleeves?
Short sleeves mean no need to worry about shaving under arms. No risk of revealing bustline.

Some people might want to cover up acne, scratches, scabs under Elastoplast (sticking plaster), love bites, broken collar bones, broken ribs, mastectomy, other scars, all sort of things.

But watch out for tops with scoop backs. These reveal backs to mosquitos and sun. You run the risk of sunstroke or burning if you do a lot of swimming on your front, for example, breaststroke. If you have moles or acne on your back you might wish to cover up.

Beach Shoes
I would also want beach shoes or swim shoes to cover my feet against insect bites and sun to guard against melanoma (skin cancer). Flip flops are a disaster.

They don't support your feet. You could get hammer toes. I have had plantar fasciitis. More about that in the next post.

Mosquitos, snakes, stubbing your toe against splayed legs of chairs, tables and loungers, even umbrella stands.

Useful brands and links to websites
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungo-Womens-Swimsuit-Protection-Swimwear/dp/B071DHYFSW


Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

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