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Some Lip Balms May Attract UV Rays

Some lip glosses can increase skin cancer risk

April 7, 2008

• Sunscreen Gets A Makeover • Sunscreen Standards Lacking; Many Ineffective, Group Says • Fruits & Vegetables Protect Against Sunburn • Some Lip Balms May Attract UV Rays • FDA Proposes New Sunscreen Rules • Study: Excessive Lifestyles Fueling Cancer Rate • Skin Cancer Rates On The Rise • Vitamin D Reduces Cancer Risk, Study Finds • Tanning May Be Addictive, Studies Warn • Marathon Runners May Face Higher Risk of Skin Cancer • Suntans Without the Sun • Not All Sunscreens Are Equal • Skin Cancer More Deadly in Darker-Skinned People • Tanning Ads Commonly Seen in High School Newspapers • Sunscreen Makers Lie, Suits Charge • Study Warns Tanning May Be Addictive

Weaknesses inherent in some commercial sun screens have been well documented in recent years. Now dermatologists are cautioning women who wear lip balms and glosses in the summer sun.

They say certain lip balms and glosses can actually increase your chances of developing a skin cancer.

"What most people don't realize is they're actually increasing light penetration through the lip surface by applying something clear and shiny to them," said Dr. Christine Brown, dermatologist on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

According to the study, fewer than one-in-four Americans wear some form of lip protection. Experts say this is a problem since the lips are not only more susceptible to aging from chronic sun damage, but are also more prone to developing serious cancers.

"When skin cancer occurs on the lower lip it has the potential to be much more aggressive and metastasize to surrounding lymph nodes," Brown said.

What's worse -- many of us unknowingly attract the sun's rays to our lips by using balms and glosses.

In fact, dermatologists advise that women should avoid wearing glossy lipsticks in the sun altogether unless they have a layer of sun protection on underneath.

"For people who are planning to be outdoors for more than 20 minutes at a time—they really should have a specific lip sun block with an SPF of 30 ideally," Brown said.

To protect your lips, Brown says the first thing you need to do is get a lip balm or a lip sunscreen that has an SPF of 30. You should apply it in the morning under any lipsticks or lip glosses and then reapply throughout the day just as you would a lip color.

So what are the signs you may have developed a skin cancer on your lip?

First of all, skin cancers are more likely to appear on the lower lip. If you have any changes to the color of the lip surface -- if an area turns opaque or white -- or if you have persistent peeling or flaking of a spot on your lip, you should have it checked by a dermatologist, Brown said.

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