Alltop.com

Yes, too much sun causes cancer, but try telling that to a sun worshipper obsessed with the perfect glow. Appeal to their vanity by sharing a photograph recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine that dramatically illustrates the sun’s premature aging effects on skin. The photo shows a 69-year-old former truck driver who spent 28 years having the left side of his face baked while behind the wheel of his big rig.

Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays transmit through window glass, penetrating the epidermis and upper layers of dermis. Chronic UVA exposure can result in thickening of the epidermis and stratum corneum, as well as destruction of elastic fibers. This photoaging effect of UVA is contrasted with photocarcinogenesis. Although exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays is linked to a higher rate of photocarcinogenesis, UVA has also been shown to induce substantial DNA mutations and direct toxicity, leading to the formation of skin cancer.

Full story at NEJM.

Take care of your health.