Is Your Lip Gloss Giving You Cancer?
Submitted by Beauty Brains Blog
Right Brain’s rant:
We’ve blogged before about how your purse can make you sick and how your shower poof may be full of disease. Well, here’s more good news: your lip gloss may put you at a higher risk for cancer.
Lip gloss danger?
According to this article on MSNBC, some dermatologists claim that lip gloss may increase your risk of skin cancer.
“These lip glosses can make more of the light rays penetrate directly through the skin instead of getting reflected off of the skin’s surface,” says Dr. Christine Brown, a dermatologist at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
Here’s how it works: the moisture in the lip gloss “smooshes down” your lips’ natural protective layer so the UV rays can more easily penetrate deeper into the skin. It’s like putting a magnifying glass over your lips before going out into the sun. The article’s author, Melissa Dahl, points out that at worst this kind of sun damage can result in potentially fatal forms of skin cancer. But it can also cause “gross, non-cancerous disfigurements on your lips,” like actinic keratosis. You can even get lip freckles.
Protect your pout
Fortunately, the solution is simple: buy a lip gloss with a Sun Protection Factor, or SPF. An SPF of 30 is ideal, but even a 15 will help if that’s the best you can find. Some good examples with an SPF greater than 15 include the following:
Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Soother, SPF 20
LaNaturaNatural Lip Protector SPF 20
If you don’t like any of those options you can also follow one dermatologist’s advice and mix your lipstick with zinc oxide. Click the link above to read the rest of Melissa’s article for more tips and a detailed discussion of the dangers of sun exposure on your lips.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Lip glosses are tasty and fun to wear - just make sure you’re using one that contains an SPF to protect your lips from the potentially dangerous effects of the sun.
What’s your favorite lip gloss? Does it contain an SPF? Check it out and leave us a comment on your favorite glosses that shine AND protect your lips.
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