Flying in a window seat exposes you to significantly higher levels of ultraviolet radiation because the thin acrylic windows do absolutely nothing to block UVA rays at thirty thousand feet.

A closer look

Flying in a window seat exposes you to significantly higher levels of ultraviolet radiation because the thin acrylic windows do absolutely nothing to block UVA rays at thirty thousand feet. Dermatologists regularly warn that pilots and frequent flyers suffer from accelerated skin aging and higher risks of melanoma, essentially turning that gorgeous view of the clouds into a slow-cooking microwave for your face. While you are busy snapping aesthetic photos of the wing to post online and prove you are traveling, the sun is quietly bombarding your cellular DNA with radiation roughly equivalent to spending twenty minutes on a tanning bed. Bringing sunscreen on a flight sounds like the behavior of a deeply paranoid hypochondriac, but science suggests it is actually the only rational response to being trapped in a pressurized metal cylinder that is actively hurtling closer to a giant ball of flaming gas