Does the left side of your face have more wrinkles? If so, you may be paying
the price for the time spent driving your car.

Scott Fosko, MD, chair of dermatology at Saint Louis University School of
Medicine, sees more cases of actinic kerotoses (AK), which are precancerous skin
lesions, on the left side of the face and forehead than on the right side.

“AK lesions and wrinkles are due to the effect of sun and UV exposure over
many years,” Dr. Fosko says. “We tend to see more skin lesions on the left side
of the face because that’s the side that’s exposed to the sun when you are
driving.”

But what difference does a twice-daily commute really make?

“Even if you only have a short commute, that exposure has a cumulative effect
that builds up over many years,” says Dr. Fosko, a skin cancer specialist who
performs surgeries to remove cancerous and precancerous lesions. “If you want to
avoid skin cancer, and if you want to avoid premature wrinkling and aging of the
skin, you should wear sunscreen every day.”

For that reason Dr. Fosko recommends applying sunscreen every day—summer or
winter, sunny or cloudy. He particularly encourages people who drive
convertibles or Jeeps to use sunscreen.

Wrinkles are caused by the photo-aging effects of UV exposure. He suggests
you use sunblocks that also block UVA, not just UVB rays.

“UVA rays, the ones that cause wrinkles, go right through the glass of your
car window,” according to Dr. Fosko. “Look for a product that has broad spectrum
protection against both UVA and UVB rays. The physical blockers, titanium
dioxide and zinc oxide, will block both, as will various chemical blockers.
Check the label to see that the product protects against both.”

“Basically, wrinkles are not a reflection of age,” he says. “They’re a
reflection of the amount of radiation damage.”