Image Courtesy: Daily Galaxy
A 69-year-old delivery truck driver developed severe wrinkles and thickened skin almost entirely on the left side of his face after spending 28 years driving with that side exposed to sunlight through his vehicle’s window. The striking case highlights how long-term ultraviolet exposure can gradually damage skin, even when the windows are closed.
Doctors diagnosed the man with unilateral dermatoheliosis, a condition caused by uneven exposure to ultraviolet radiation over many years. The damage accumulated slowly, with noticeable thickening and wrinkling developing over approximately 25 years. The unusual case was documented in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Medical examinations revealed deep wrinkles, thickened skin, open comedones, and small nodules on the left side of the man’s face, which spent decades closest to the driver’s side window. Tissue analysis also showed damage to elastic fibers within the dermis, consistent with Favre-Racouchot syndrome, a condition commonly linked to chronic sun exposure.
Unlike UVB rays, which are largely blocked by standard vehicle windows and are primarily responsible for sunburn, UVA rays can penetrate ordinary glass. These rays reach deeper layers of the skin, where they gradually break down collagen and elastic fibers, accelerating visible aging without causing the immediate redness typically associated with sun exposure.
Doctors noted that both sides of the driver’s face aged naturally over time, but the left side absorbed significantly more UVA radiation during years of driving. This made the case a rare visual demonstration of how repeated, low-level exposure can accumulate into dramatic skin damage.
Although the driver did not develop skin cancer, physicians recommended ongoing monitoring because prolonged ultraviolet exposure increases the risk of DNA damage and certain skin cancers. They also advised using broad-spectrum sunscreen, which protects against both UVA and UVB rays, along with topical retinoids to help improve some signs of photoaging.
Researchers say the case does not suggest every driver will experience such extreme changes. However, it serves as a reminder that truck drivers, delivery workers, taxi drivers, and others who spend long hours beside vehicle windows may receive substantial cumulative UVA exposure over decades, making proper sun protection important even while driving.
