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Lip Balms, Glosses And Skin Cancer

by Gloria Gamat on April 28th, 2008

What kind of lip balms or glosses do you use? You may want to stay away from the shiny ones as they may attract ultraviolet rays (UV rays of the sun) and thereby increase the rtisk of skin cancer.

Such were the findings of Dr. Christine Brown, a dermatologist at at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Lips are more susceptible than skin to aging from chronic sun damage and 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 in a prepared statement.

Shiny balms and glosses don’t offer protection. Instead, they attract the sun’s rays to the lips.

“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,” Brown said.

Women should only wear glossy lipsticks in the sun when they have a layer of sun protection on underneath, dermatologists advise.

What fitting findings in time for the summer. Honestly, I never liked the shiny lip glosses and balms.

What about you? What lip balm or gloss do you use?

Find more details from The Washington Post.

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