Puckering Up Safely

Posted May 13, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Caroline Shannon

Section: Her Health, Her News

If the days of using Bonnie Bell-esque lip glosses are far from the days of yore, then you may want to tune into this: Some dermatologists say slapping on a shiny lip gloss may increase your risk of developing skin cancer.

While any lip balm that does not contain an SPF will not shield skin from harm, experts say the smooth, shimmering nature of a gloss could cause even more attraction of the sun’s UV rays.

In the worst case scenario, say skin doctors, the sun damage caused by wearing certain lip products can lead to a possibly fatal form of skin cancer.

An estimated 3,500 new cases of skin cancer of the lips are diagnosed each year, and 90 percent of those cancers are squamous cell carcinoma, according to MSNBC. While this form of cancer is not generally serious, doctors say it can be harsher on the lips than on other parts of the skin. Leave it untreated and it can cause deformity, and in a small number of cases, it can spread to other organs and become deadly.

But the seemingly less serious results of wearing lip gloss may stand out to the gal who slathers on the goop on a regular basis – sun exposure while wearing lip shine may be slowly forming not-so-attractive, non-cancerous disfigurements on your lips, including scaly patches, wart-like bumps and small brown spots that look like freckles. They may be noncancerous, but who wants unpleasant growths on their kisser?

When lip skin is sun-damaged, a woman may also notice more rips and tears, a result of premature aging. Skin elasticity is also compromised by too much sun exposure, sometimes preventing the upper and lower lips from lining up properly and causing pools of saliva to collect at the corners of the mouth.

Dermatologists say the lack of moisture in most glosses is to blame for the damage often generated by the sun. If you want to quit lip gloss usage cold turkey, then doctors recommend you opt for lipstick mixed with zinc oxide. The next best thing would be using a lip balm packed with SPF 30 under your gloss, and a last resort would be to choose a lip gloss with SPF 30. But dermatologists emphasize that such a gloss can be tough to find because many only come as high as an SPF 15.

Check out ChapStick Ultra with SPF 30 if you are not worried about fancy-shmancy color; or if you like a little flavor, you may want to try Carmex Mint-Flavored SPF 30 Lip Balm.