Truck driver who never wore sunscreen shows dramatic difference it's made to one side of his face

A hard lesson about the significance of wearing sunscreen was learned by a lorry driver from Yorkshire.

Steve, aged 54, had never applied SPF or used any moisturizer throughout his life until he realized the damaging effects of UV exposure during his working hours on his skin. Hailing from South Yorkshire and preferring not to disclose his last name, the driver began observing a noticeable contrast between the two halves of his face. The right side, which faced the driver's window in the UK, exhibited deeper wrinkles and lines. "For the past four or five years, I started noticing profound lines and wrinkles on the right side of my face. While looking at myself in the mirror, I would pull the skin around my eye back and think, 'I'm aging,'" he shared with the Mirror.

At that juncture, Steve had already spent three decades as a lorry driver, devoting six days a week to the road, with the sun predominantly affecting his right side.

"To be honest, I believed it was simply a natural part of aging, and I never contemplated seeking any treatments, until I recalled a newspaper article featuring a UV photograph of a lorry driver's face displaying severe sun damage exclusively on his right side," he added.

"That's when it dawned on me... My lines and wrinkles were likely the result of sun damage as well."

Despite acknowledging that sun damage could be the culprit, Steve didn't start using SPF until he consulted with Dr. Hannah Higgins, an aesthetic doctor and the clinical director of The Wellness Space in Barnsley.

He stated, "She informed me that the sun had not only harmed the surface of my skin but also the deeper layers, causing a slight sinking of the right side of my face."

Dr. Higgins also diagnosed Steve with a skin condition known as rosacea, contributing to a reddish appearance on his face.

Steve's doctor prescribed him a medical-grade skincare routine along with a daily application of SPF 50 before proceeding with corrective treatments to address the unevenness of his facial features.

Dr. Higgins explained, "I have encountered female patients with asymmetrical lines in the past, often caused by simple factors like consistently sleeping on one side of their face, which can accelerate the aging process. However, the asymmetry resulting from the sun damage on Steve's face was more pronounced than anything I had witnessed before."

"The entire face displayed indications of UV damage; there was redness, erythema (skin reddening), age spots, and pigmentation, along with an elevated presence of surface oil compared to what I would typically expect," she added.

Following Dr. Higgins's recommended regimen, Steve became eligible for a dermal filler treatment using MaiLi filler to smooth out his wrinkles.

"Nowadays, I would urge everyone to utilize sunscreen, whether they are in the cabin of a lorry or outdoors," Steve shared.

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