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Wearing sunscreen can reduce the risk for skin cancer, everyone knows that, but did you know that tinting your windows can help reduce your risk too?

You may ask how, how can tinting your car windows help protect you from skin cancer. Everyone is at risk of getting skin cancer. Car tint protects you by limiting exposure to ultraviolet light (UV); which can reduce your skin cancer risk. Some types of tint can also filter out UV light which reduces the UV light that may reach you. 

Skin Cancer Risk

The Center for Disease Control reports skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In fact, most estimates suggest one out of every five Americans will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in their lifetime. While skin type, age, and lifestyle may increase the risk for certain individuals, skin cancer should a concern for everyone, especially those who live in very sunny climates or who drive a lot. Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers are more common on the left side, since drivers are most directly exposed through a window on their left side, and drivers are more common than passengers. 

UV EXPOSURE INCREASES CANCER RISK

Exposure to ultraviolet light increases the risk of every type of skin cancer, says the American Academy of Dermatology. Even if you’ve only had one sunburn in your life, that sunburn doubled your risk of getting melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer. Prolonged exposure only increases that risk, which is your risk increases as you age. That’s why along with sunscreen, it is also recommended that you seek shade and wear sun-protective clothing on sunny days.  Staying in your car could qualify as getting into shade if all the windows have some kind of tint to them.

UVA RAYS PASS THROUGH UNTREATED WINDOWS

There are two kinds of UV light. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, most sunburns are caused by shorter wavelength UVB rays, which do not pass through windows. However, UVA light rays have longer wavelengths, allowing them to pass through untreated windows. Long-term exposure to UVA rays causes wrinkles and other signs of aging.  It also raises the risk of skin cancer. While car windshields are usually treated to filter UVA rays, side and rear windows don’t usually leave the factory blocking being able to block the necessary amount of UVA light to protect you. That means, even with the windows rolled up, you may be exposed to constant UVA light as you drive around Illinois.

CAR WINDOW TINTING BLOCKS UV RAYS

While most people know that tinting your car window filters out visible light – makes your car windows dark. But car windows with a proper level of tint can block up to 99-percent of UV rays, including UVA rays. That means every minute you spend driving around in a car with car window tinting installed, you may be reducing more than 60-percent of that risky UV light, reducing the long-term risk of skin cancer.

FOR UV PROTECTION IN FAIR HEIGHTS, GET A QUOTE FROM 618 DENT GUYS

It’s very easy to reduce your risk for skin cancer. 618 Dent Guy has years of experience tinting car windows. Contact us today at 618-406-0387 to see about reducing your exposure to ultraviolet light.