Pigmentation is so one-sided

This, of course, is an exaggeration.

Recently I had a client come in who had just seen her dermatologist. We were talking about pigmentation and “sun spots” on the skin. Her dermatologist pointed out how she had more pigmentation on the left side of her face, especially around the cheek and chin area as well as her upper neck. My client was shocked to find out that this was due to driving in her car. I see this a lot—even on my own face; there is usually more dark pigmentation on the left side of the face, the side closest to the window of the car. This dark pigmentation is caused from sun exposure—exposure while sitting in your car driving. And if you are rarely the driver but are frequently a passenger in the front seat, you’ll see this discoloration on your right side.

Your hands are also receiving a lot of sun while they are up or around the steering wheel. Look down at your hands next time you’re driving and you’ll see what I mean. Early in my skin care career I (unbelievably) used to wear white gloves when I drove. I felt like a debutante, but I also knew I was keeping the sun off my hands and therefore keeping sun damage away. I progressed to gloves that matched my skin tone, which were harder for onlookers to see (!), and sometimes I would wear my gym gloves. It doesn’t matter what type of gloves you wear, if you are concerned about getting dark spots on the tops of your hands as you age—wear gloves.

The dark areas of discoloration on the tops of the hands (or the face), also known as “liver spots,” “sun spots,” or the dreaded “age spots,” are simply pigmentation spots caused by sun exposure. Those names, by the way, are all describing the same thing. Consider keeping gloves in the car to protect your hands while driving. 

For more information, see 

• Hyperpigmentation: A few Q & As 
• Let Bed Bath & Beyond save your skin! This article will tell you an easy way to keep sunlight from getting to your face and neck while you’re driving (sun your visor can’t protect you from)
• What is Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation?

These gloves would be pointless since they don’t cover the very place you’re trying to protect: the tops of the hands.