With temperatures skyrocketing across the globe this summer, you may hear repeated reminders about how important it is to protect yourself from burns. Sadly, though, there is a part of the body that often gets overlooked: the lips. How and why should you protect your lips from the sun? This blog post provides some useful information.
The Importance of Protecting Your Lips
The skin on your lips is thinner and more fragile than the skin on the rest of your body. If it is subjected to prolonged sun exposure, it could easily burn, become dry, and start to cause you pain. Eventually, you might even develop skin cancer or oral cancer. There is also the chance that the skin around your lips could start to show premature signs of aging.
How to Protect Your Lips from the Sun
Protecting your lips from the sun is both easy and simple. Here are a few steps you can take:
Use SPF Lip Balm
Because regular sunscreen can leave your lips feeling dry and irritated, you may be eager to use a gentler alternative. Look for a lip balm with SPF. An SPF 30 lip balm would be ideal (rather than an SPF 15 product) because it can block out up to 97% of the sun’s UVB and UVA radiation.
Reapply Your SPF
Lots of people are diligent about wearing SPF every day. However, those same people may forget to reapply their sun protection products. Try setting a reminder on your phone so you can keep yourself safe for the entire time you are outdoors. Regular sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours (more often if you are swimming or sweating a lot), and SPF lip balm should be reapplied every hour.
Wear a Hat
A hat with a UPF of 50 or greater can cast shade on your face and reduce your risk of skin damage. Many baseball caps and sunhats work well for this purpose.
Stay Inside During the Hottest Part of the Day
The sun’s radiation tends to be most intense during the middle of the day, from late morning until around 4 P.M. or so. If possible, try to stay indoors during that period. If you choose to go out, be sure to stay in shady areas as much as you can.
Your lips are an important part of your smile! Protect them from the sun’s harsh rays while you are enjoying the toasty summer weather.
Meet the Practice
New Haven Dental Group proudly provides comprehensive oral health services to the Hamden community. If you need to be screened for oral cancer, or you would like personalized advice on how to care for your smile, we are prepared to serve you. Get in touch with our friendly team at 203-587-7327.