A
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
,
Dallas
,
TX
75235
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- Main Retail Café: Mon - Sun | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Starbucks Café: WISH Building | Mon - Fri | 5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Park Market Café: Mon - Fri | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. | 8 p.m. - 4 a.m. | Sat -Sun | 7 p.m. - 4 a.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- 214-590-8831
- Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday: Closed
- Holiday hours may be different
Posted: 7/20/2016
Parkland physicians say drivers need to protect exposed skin from UV rays
Texas drivers basking in nearly year-round sun may not be aware of a health threat striking them through their car’s side window. Researchers have found that while the windshield of your car adequately shields you from the sun’s ultraviolet A (UVA) rays, the same may not be true for side windows. Prolonged exposure to UVA rays can significantly raise the risk for both skin cancer and cataracts.
“Overall, only 14 percent of the cars tested by researchers in a recent study offered a high level of side-window UVA protection. This could contribute to a higher prevalence of skin cancer particularly on exposed skin surfaces such as the face, arms and hands,” said Stephanie Savory, MD, dermatologist at Parkland Health & Hospital System and Assistant Professor of Dermatology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “Exposure to UV radiation from the sun is linked to up to 90 percent of skin cancers.”
In addition to skin cancer risk, sunlight can cause damage to our eyes. There appears to be a link between a process called oxidative stress caused by sunlight and increased incidence of cataracts and other eye problems. Healthcare experts see a higher level of both cataracts and skin cancers on the left sides of people.
“Cataracts are often considered an inevitable part of the aging process, but there are steps that can be taken to delay or even avoid them,” said Preston H. Blomquist, MD, Chief of the Ophthalmology Service at Parkland and Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern. “Protecting your eyes from the sun by wearing sunglasses is highly recommended.”
The World Health Organization has designated all ultraviolet radiation as a human carcinogen.
Too much exposure to UVA and UVB rays can affect the skin by upsetting delicate processes that affect the skin’s growth and appearance.
A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that while windshields of cars built between 1990 and 2014 blocked an average 96 percent of the UVA rays, only about 71 percent of the side windows blocked those rays. Only 14 percent of the vehicles studied offered a high-level of UV protection.
“Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. More than 3 million Americans are diagnosed each year with some type of the disease and one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of their lifetime,” said Dr. Savory. “But many of these cancers can be prevented by minimizing sun exposure.”
Dr. Savory advises people of all skin types who are age six months and older to:
- Minimize sun exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the hours of peak sun intensity
- Wear protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirt, pants and wide-brimmed hat
- Wear sunglasses with 100 percent UV blocking lenses
- Use a water-resistant, broad-spectrum UVA and UVB blocking sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or higher
- Use sunscreen daily. Even on completely overcast days, up to 30 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays can penetrate through clouds and reach your skin
- Use enough sunscreen to generously coat all skin that will not be covered by clothing, including face, ears, arms and hands
- Apply sunscreen to dry skin 15 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours, or after swimming or sweating
- Protect your lips with a lip balm or lipstick that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher
- Wear sunscreen while driving, especially on exposed surfaces such as your face, forearms and hands
- Consider adding tint that protects against UV rays to your car’s side windows
“Remember, there is no safe way to tan,” Dr. Savory said. “And sun damage to your skin is cumulative. Every time you tan or burn, you speed up the aging of your skin and increase your risk of skin cancer.”