A recent Michael J. Fox Foundation blog links Parkinson’s disease and melanoma, the often deadly skin cancer. Parkies come down with melanoma at higher rates than non-Parkies.
It’s not certain if one condition brings on the other, or if Parkies are naturally fun-loving outdoorsy types who surf, life guard, and swim the English Channel more often than the average Jane or Joe, thus exposing themselves more frequently to the sun’s harmful rays.
However, the take-away is clear: This summer, don’t spend hours at the beach (or by the pool, or on the roof) trying to get tan, especially if you have Parkinson’s disease.
There is no such thing as a healthy tan. If you watch this WebMD video on tanning, you’ll hear the narrator say the following:
“The reality is that any tan is a form of skin damage.”
Of course, the sun gives us vitamin D, which we all need. A lack of vitamin D increases your risk of dying from heart disease, and of getting osteoporosis, cancer of the prostate, cancer of the breast, cancer of the colon. Jeepers!
So what’s the smart thing to do?
- Take vitamin D3 supplements. 2,000 IUs a day should do the trick. Alternatively, eat foods packed with Vitamin D, such as wild-caught salmon, mackerel, and bluefish.
- If you want to get vitamin D from the summer sun, severely restrict your exposure. According to this article in the US News & World Report, if you’re fair-skinned (e.g., the color of vanilla pudding), stand outside in the midday sun in your sexiest shorts and tank top and no sunscreen for just a few minutes. If you’re slightly darker skinned (say, the color of café con leche), you should wear your sexiest shorts and tank top in the midday sun for 15 minutes. If your skin is really dark (chocolate!), you can wear your sexiest shorts and tank top outside even longer; however, the research is not clear on how long.
- See your dermatologist at least once a year to get checked for skin cancer. I see mine twice a year. Ask your doctor if my recommendations in this blog post are correct. He/she may have more up-to-date information. I may also be wrong.
- Check your own skin monthly for new moles or changes in current moles.
- Know your risk of developing melanoma. Risk factors include a family history of skin cancer, being Caucasian, being male, and being older. Actually, that’s me in a nutshell…
- Use a high SPF sunscreen (SPF of 50) if you’re going to be outdoors. This is true whether you’re lounging at the beach or pounding city streets. To see how different brands of sunscreen match up, click here.
The midday sun (when UVB rays penetrate the earth’s atmosphere in sufficient strength) produces the vitamin D. Early morning or late afternoon sun doesn’t help you produce Vitamin D, but it still poses a risk for skin cancer. According to this online article, “Exposure to early morning and late afternoon sunlight does not provide any vitamin D but does expose us to UVA radiation which can alter the immune system and increase risk for skin cancer.”
Bottom line: No more bottom lines (tan lines on your bottom)! Life is precarious enough as it is!
Note: The sexy guy in the photo already got his few minutes of midday sun exposure. Now he’s all covered up, wearing a yellow top like the sun itself.
