Trucker accumulates skin damage on left side of his face after 28 years on the road

A 69-year-old man who drove a delivery truck for 28 years shows damaged skin on the left side of his face.

/ New England Journal of Medicine

(CBS News) It's no secret that lots of sun damages the skin. Too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun has been tied to premature aging, more wrinkles and a raised risk for potentially deadly skin cancer.

An image published in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine paints a clear picture of what kind of damage the sun can cause a person's skin.

This unidentified 69-year-old trucker (pictured above) who has been on the road for 28 years has accumulated lots of exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation.

Tanning beds more dangerous than once thought? What new study says
UV photographs may reveal potential for getting skin cancer

The man's condition is called  unilateral dermatoheliosis and the man's skin has been gradually thickening over the past 25 years.

UVA rays transmit through clouds and window glass to penetrate the skin's layers, and have been tied to aging and wrinkles. According to the journal, chronic UVA exposure can result in thickening of the skin's top layers, the epidermis and stratum corneum, as well as destruction of the skin's elastic fibers. The truck driver took the brunt of the damage on the left side of his face because of his many hours behind the wheel.

Experts had thought only ultraviolet B radiation (UVB), which cause sunburn, were the main cause of skin cancer but recent research suggests UVA rays can damage DNA in the skin's deepest layers, increasing risk they become cancerous.

Doctors eventually recommended to this man sun protection, vitamin A creams called topical retinoids and frequent screenings for skin cancer.

To protect yourself against UV radiation, the CDC says to seek shade, especially during midday hours, wear protective clothing, wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face and head and use sun screen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

[Mike20022012]

That man's face (left side) is so wrinkled it is hard to believe that all of the damage came from the sun. And yet, based on comparison wiht the left side, what other explanation can be drawn? I would bet the man also has smoked most of his lefe, which is also bad for the skin. Drinking- who knows? It's surprising he hasn't developed skin cancer to date. Perhpas it's not too late for some repaors to be made to all the damage and for the man to chnage his habits to prevent further damage.

[Lerianis4]

You know, right now we have trouble with people spending too damned much time indoors and they bring this up?

Hey, health nuts..... let's worry about skin cancer when people actually have enough ********* sun exposure to have to worry about it.

[CARGuy2010]

Skin cancer is already growing faster than the next 7 most common forms, and is THE most common cancer among 20-30 yr olds...I think we have enough already.

[moretruthnow]

Skin cancer is a real and current issue. It is not health nuts and not people sensible enough to care about their skin. It is information for people who will need this to see that the sun takes a toll on your skin and you can protect it or just be damaged from the sun and from tanning beds. People are cooking themselves and they will end up shriveled and wrinkled.

[Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists]

A little Botox, a little nip and tuck, and he'll be as good as new.

[moretruthnow]

Yes they are. I am responding to your name. There is someone on Politico with the sign-in name Bush Cheney 2012. It is amazing that people are so moronic in America.

[nancy_naive]

and this is why we need right-hand drive vehicles.

[RebmaW]

*facepalm*

Hoping you're not serious.

[MegaProcrastination]

This is just goofy. My grandpa was a truck driver forever, never had anything like this happen, nor has any of the other long haul truck drivers I've known over the years. I live around and know a lot of farmers and ranchers who've worked outside their whole lives and their skin doesn't look anything like that. Sure, they wear hats but hats don't keep the sun off the whole face, just look at their tan lines.

For goodness sake, garbage like this is just geared to scare people half to death and before long they're afraid to walk out their door.

[Lerianis4]

Agreed. I'd be more looking at this man having one of those 'skin hardening' diseases that comes from a virus.

[RealiteBites]

Wow, an incredible photo. Fascinating!

[sand_pie]

He paid for being macho instead of using a shade.

[matt6052]

Looks like wind damage, not sun damage. Trucker only gets wind on the left side of his face too, but the sun shines through the front glass just as frequently as it does through the left window. Maybe someone threw hot coffee on his face when he went through the drive-thru.

[alphaa10000]

The entire left side is blasted-- what you see over his upper left eye is an atrophied skin fold, where collagen fibers have broken and collapsed. Naturally, it does not have have the fullness of his right upper eye skin fold.

[endrepubs]

Do all truckers who have been trucking for 28 years or more look like this? I think not!