As someone who has worked hands-on skin for 15 years, as an esthetician, and looks at faces all day, I can confidently tell you the answer is yes. Both men and women will have more sun damage, in the form of wrinkles and brown spots on the left side of the face, the side that gets exposed to more UV exposure through the driver’s side window. We put our sunglasses on and start driving with the light beaming onto our skin.
But when I saw this study from the New England Journal of Medicine, this certainly confirmed what I have seen to be true.
This 69-year old man had driven a delivery truck for 28 years causing one-sided photo-aging (called unilateral dermatoheliosis) from exposing only half his face to direct sunlight for nearly three decades…
I’ll also note that based on bags under his eyes, I would guess he’s a smoker. So yes, you can get more sun damage on one side of the face through a car window. This also brings awareness that you can get UV rays indoors – or in this case, inside of a car. Wearing sun protection 365 days a year, inside or out is essential to lessen sun damage.
Many people shy away from wearing sunscreen daily because they can often feel too heavy on the skin, sensitivities, rashes and clogging the pores.
Did you know that you can get sun protection in the way of vitamins and actives added right into your daily skin care to help prevent sun damage and aging? I will continue to blog on sun protection.
Sun protection is the best anti-aging product–EVER!