Incredible Picture Showing Why You Need Sunscreen!

For years, we’ve been warned of the damaging effects of the sun’s UV rays.  As children, we may have run around sunscreen-less (the horror!), but now, one photo demonstrates what countless other scientific studies have failed to convey.

The New England Journal of Medicine just published a study that included a picture of an unnamed truck driver directly facing the camera, and one side of his face looks decades older than the other. Yep… the side exposed to the truck’s window and therefore, the sun.

Check out the picture from the New England Journal of Medicine below and read what they have to say:

A 69-year-old man presented with a 25-year history of gradual, asymptomatic thickening and wrinkling of the skin on the left side of his face. The physical examination showed hyperkeratosis with accentuated ridging, multiple open comedones, and areas of nodular elastosis.  Findings were consistent with photodamaged skin. The patient reported that he had driven a delivery truck for 28 years. Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays transmit through window glass, penetrating the epidermis and upper layers of dermis. Chronic UVA exposure results in thickening of the epidermis and stratum corneum, as well as destruction of collagen and elastin fibers. The use of sun protection and periodic monitoring for skin cancer were recommended for the patient.

One thing is for certain– the man is a great reminder as to why investing in a bottle of sunscreen is probably a good idea, as the summer starts heating up. Swing by 360 Skin for all your skincare needs…we can also repair what’s been damaged : )

This post was written by Brandon