New Haven Dental Group is a 42 North Dental Care, PLLC practice and is owned and operated by dentists Dr. Samuel Shames, DDM. and Dr. Ronald Weissman, DDM. Gentle Dental is supported by 42 North Dental, LLC, a dental support organization that provides non-clinical administrative and business support services to the practice. 42 North Dental, LLC does not own or operate the dental practice or employ dentists to provide dental services. Find more information about 42 North Dental, LLC and the dental practices it supports at 42northdental.com.
As summer temperatures crawl upward, you probably hear frequent reminders about how important it is to minimize your risk of sunburn. Sadly, though, many people overlook an important part of their body when they are attempting to shield themselves from harmful radiation: their lips. How and why should you protect your lips from the sun? This blog post explains.
Why Protect Your Lips?
The skin on your lips is thinner and has a lower concentration of melanin than the rest of your face. That means your lips are likely to burn faster than the surrounding areas. They may feel dry and uncomfortable, in addition to losing some of their aesthetic appeal. Plus, repeated sunburns over the years could increase your risk of cancer. The lower lip is especially vulnerable to damage because of the way the sun hits it.
How to Protect Your Lips
There are some easy and inexpensive steps you can take to minimize the risk of sun damage to your lips:
Wear SPF
You can apply regular sunscreen to your lips just like you do for the rest of your body. However, since that might taste unpleasant and irritate your delicate lip skin, it would probably be wiser to use a lip balm with SPF instead.
You will probably come across some lip products with an SPF of 15, while others might feature SPF 30. Try to choose the latter because it can block out up to 97% of the sun’s harmful rays (SPF15 products only block out 93%).
Do Not Forget to Reapply
Most people remember to apply SPF before they spend time in the sun. However, they commonly forget to reapply. Regular sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours or so, while SPF lip balms should be reapplied every hour. You might need even more frequent reapplication if you are eating, drinking, or licking your lips a lot.
Wear a Hat
A hat can cast shade on your lips and reduce your risk of burns. Sunhats and baseball caps work well for this purpose. Be sure to choose something made out of a solid material that features a UPF of 50 or greater.
Stay Inside During the Hottest Part of the Day
The UV index is a measurement of the strength of sunburn-producing rays. It tends to be highest during the middle part of the day (between 11 A.M. and 4 P.M.), so it is best to stay inside during that period if possible. If you have to be outdoors, make an effort to stay in the shade as much as possible.
Your lips are important for your smile’s beauty and your oral health! Protect them while you are outside enjoying the summer sun.
Meet the Practice
The expert team at New Haven Dental Group is proud to offer oral cancer screenings and many other services in our comfortable, modern office. If you have questions about how you can reduce your risk of oral cancer, we are prepared to answer them. Get in touch with us at 203-712-4068.