It’s become like a mantra now. If you read any magazine or listen to any dermatologist, the first line of defense against aging, they will tell you, is to stay out of the sun and – even for small amounts of daily exposure – to use a high-powered, stable sunscreens on exposed areas.
Well, I listened, and with my giant hats, SPF 50s and regimen of retinols and assorted other potions I managed to slow down the visual manifestations of my own aging process (I say this not out of vanity but because sun spots that began to appear a few years ago have now virtually disappeared and because the crow’s feet and forehead creases are not as deep).
So it is, in fact, true what they say. What they don’t tell you about sun exposure is that if you’re not getting any sun – or getting it but protecting yourself from it with sunscreen – you’re also probably not getting enough Vitamin D, and likely not making up for it with the amount of D you’re getting in your diet. In my case I don’t eat a lot of dairy and don’t eat any eggs or meat, so I was getting virtually none in my diet. One of my doctors brought this up one day after I had proclaimed with pride how healthy my diet was and how I stay out of the sun, thus protecting myself from skin cancer and premature aging. She did a simple blood test, which revealed that I had a Vitamin D level of 13. The normal range is 30-80. Apart from causing bone pain, a deficiency like this can lead to Osteopenia, the precursor to Osteoporosis. My level was so alarming that my doctor put me on a weekly regimen of 50,000 IU (international units) per week, and I now take a maintenance dose of 10,000 IU per week. I’m supposed to be re-tested soon.
So, my point is this, keep staying out of the sun for the sake of protecting yourself from premature aging and skin cancer, keep using your sunscreens and keep eating a healthy diet. But, please, especially my female readers, ask your doctors to include a vitamin D level test in your next round of blood work or checkup, and follow his or her directives based on the results. It was certainly eye-opening for me.
