Sunshine causes wrinkles even through the glass
POSTED September 7, 2010 - 16:40 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on September 7, 2010 - 17:03
But here’s an eye-opener.
According to the findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the University College Hospital, Besancon, in France, the skin damage caused by sunlight filtering through glass can be equally devastating as basking under direct sunlight.
While the glass barrier does block out the sun's UVB rays, about 50 percent of sun’s UVA rays still manage to get through, researchers say. Exposure to UVA rays is associated with burning and ageing.
Researchers found that damaging sun rays infiltrate the glass, causing skin creasing. The penetrating rays, they say, can leave the exposed side of the face looking seven years older than the other.
The study
Researchers studied how different levels of sun exposure affected sections of the face.
"Participants showed significantly more clinical signs of facial ageing on one side of their face due to driving or working close to windows over many years," researchers said.
One participant, a 62-year-old sales-woman on regular drive for 33 years aged more quickly on the side of the face that faced the window. “Her face closest to her car window looked more than seven years older than the opposite side,” researchers said.
Seasonal skin aging
The damage caused by exposure to weak April sunshine and autumn rays are also far worse than previously known.
Sitting by an office window, April can raise the risk of skin damage by 300 percent. Likewise, exposure to subtle autumn rays elevates the activity of ageing genes, responsible for premature ageing of the skin upon exposure to UV radiation, by over 50 times.
"We believe up to 90 per cent of the visible signs of ageing are due to the sun's ultraviolet radiation and more than 95 per cent of these are known to be UVA rays," Professor John Hawk, an Emeritus Professor of dermatological photobiology and UVA expert, said. "The biggest danger is for staff in open-plan offices with big windows."
"What's needed is a step-change in awareness of the damaging effects all year round, not just during summer holiday season,” Hawk averred.
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