Shiny Lips = Skin Cancer Risk

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Shiny Lips = Skin Cancer Risk

April 28, 2008

We all want lovely, shiny lips, but those beautiful balms and glosses might just be putting your pouty mouth at risk for skin cancer.

Not only do shiny lip glosses and lip balms offer no sun protection, new research shows that they may actually attract dangerous sun rays, making it easier for damaging UV rays to penetrate the lips. Since lips are more sensitive to aging and sun damage than skin, it is important to protect them, yet only about 25 percent of Americans do.

If you plan to be in the sun for over 20 minutes, your best bet it to apply sun protection of SPF 30 to your lips then add on the gloss. Keep your kisser safe!

Source

25 Comments

TFS 5 years 3 weeks

tell us something that wont give us cancer?

WiCkeD_LaDy 5 years 3 weeks

wOw thanks Bellawe wouldn't like our lips gettinghurt..........

WiCkeD_LaDy 5 years 3 weeks

wOw thanks Bella we wouldn't like our lips getting hurt..........

plasticine 5 years 3 weeks

good to know. i figured that any creamy lipgloss could help my lips from getting dry in the sun, but i never considered this. thanks!

Anabellatc 5 years 3 weeks

I always apply chapstick with SPF before the lip gloss :)

j2e1n9 5 years 3 weeks

Oh phew, is that all? I dont wear it outside during the day usually anyways. I dont like it when wind blows my hair and it gets stuck in it. I mostly wear it at night. :makeup:

hillamaria 5 years 3 weeks

I always try to put some SPF on ym lips, but I've never used 30.. maybe I should try a little higher than 15.

JaimeLeah526 5 years 3 weeks

Lots of glosses have SPF. I never really thought about the shiny-ness attracting the sun.

jjlyn 5 years 3 weeks

oh my goodness, thank you so much for this info! i'm a complete SPF freak, but i have never considered my lips!!

Spectra 5 years 3 weeks

I usually wear a lip balm with SPF because my lips are really sensitive and I'd hate to get sunburn on them!

bellaressa 5 years 3 weeks

It's just like putting baby oil on and going in the sun.

Francoisehardly 5 years 3 weeks

I actually don't really like gloss. I prefer lipstick. But I do need to remember to have a lip balm that has spf.

urban chic 101 5 years 3 weeks

Say it isn't so... boo! But I love my stila lip glaze...

NadiaPotter 5 years 3 weeks

I have a labello lip balm that says 30 SPF, I even have a blog here: Labello Sun and I love the smell of it :)

BeautyXRush 5 years 3 weeks

Yes, thats why I use chapstick with SPF and lipgloss ;)

FoxyJo 5 years 3 weeks

Great info!! Especially since summer is on its way! :)

aimeeb 5 years 3 weeks

So true, lips need SPF too!!

aimeeb 5 years 3 weeks

So true, lips need SPF too!!

Leilanic1 5 years 3 weeks

my lipbalm has spf 25...

Leilanic1 5 years 3 weeks

my lipbalm has spf 25...

hkdkat 5 years 3 weeks

I use some sort of lip balm before putting on lipstick but I've never seen one with higher than SPF 15 for lips.

Allytta 5 years 3 weeks

if i put sunblock, i put it everywhere, including the lips.

toodledoo 5 years 3 weeks

I never thought about lip gloss this way. I always put on my trusty chapstick before glossing, but just checked the label and it's only spf 4...that's not going to cut it!