Why you should carry suntan lotion with you if you have Parkinson's: Living with Parkinson's Tip of the Day
Why carry suntan lotion with Parkinson’s? Watch the video.
It might surprise you to learn that people with Parkinson’s have a higher risk of skin cancer. This risk is NOT related to dopamine drugs.
A recent paper in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings cited a 3.8 times increased risk of melanoma in Parkinson’s. A recent review article by Jankovic and colleagues summarizes the latest findings in the field.
We recommend that all people with Parkinson’s carry suntan lotion and we further recommend that it have “high UV protection” listed on the bottle (SPF should be 30 or greater). Tanning lotion is not enough as you will need protection from the sun’s harmful rays.
There is no known increased risk of taking SInemet, Madopar or dopamine replacement therapies if you have a past history of melanoma.
