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WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Applying sunscreen may be as important to protecting your health as buckling your seat belt when you drive your car.
That's the opinion of Dr. Scott Fosko, chairman of dermatology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
He sees more cases of actinic kerotoses (AK) -- precancerous skin lesions -- on the left side of the face and forehead than on the right side. That could be the result of sun exposure while people drive their cars, he suggests.
"AK lesions and wrinkles are due to the effect of sun and UV exposure over many years. 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," Fosko says in a news release.
Just a 15-minute commute twice daily is enough to damage your skin.
"Even if you only have a short commute, that exposure has a cumulative effect that builds up over many years. 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," Fosko says.
You should use a sunscreen that blocks both kinds of ultraviolet radiation -- UVA and UVB -- to ensure you're fully protected from the sun's harmful rays.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about skin cancer.
