If you spend time in a car throughout the day (even just commuting or running errands), a recent study serves as a good reminder to put on sunscreen before you get behind the wheel. Researchers in Saint Louis found that the sunlight that comes into the driver's side of cars in the U.S. may contribute to the development of skin cancers on the left side of the face and body.
The study examined the records of 1,047 skin cancer patients and found more left-sided skin cancers than right-sided (here's one particularly scary stat: 74 percent of malignant melanomas occurred on the left rather than the right). One of the co-authors, Dr. Scott Fosko, emphasized that people should wear sunscreens that block both UVA and UVB rays on a daily basis because the side windows of most cars are made of non-laminated clear glass, which blocks UVB, but still allows 63 percent of UVA rays to come through.
Keep a bottle of sunscreen in your glove compartment so you always have some on hand to block those rays!
– Abby Cuffey, Associate Health Editor