Lip Balms and Glosses may Hike Skin Cancer Risk

Cosmetics like sunscreen, shiny lip balm, and lip gloss may actually hurt the skin and also increase the risk of developing skin cancer, a new study has found..

According to a new research, which was led by Christine Brown, M.D., dermatologist on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, less than one-in-four Americans wear some form of lip protection.

Experts say this is concerning since the lips are not only more susceptible to aging from chronic sun damage, but are also more prone to developing serious cancers.

"Many people do use sunscreen; however they tend to forget their lips. When skin cancer occurs on the lower lip it has the potential to be much more aggressive and metastasize to surrounding lymph nodes," said Brown.

"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," she added.

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," said Brown.

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In order to protect lips, Brown said that 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.

Source-ANI
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