By Thatiana Diaz, Refinery29
Sunburns are a tragic fact of life. As much as we try to avoid them with trendy visors, umbrellas at the beach, and loads of sunscreen,
we still sometimes find ourselves with red, swollen patches of skin.
The agony usually presents itself on our face, shoulders, or back, but
there’s one area we’re not paying enough attention to: our lips.
Keeping your lips hydrated
is one thing; they need sun protection, too. With a lack of education
and advertising push, however, you could go your whole life without
making the connection. “There tends to be less awareness about
protecting the lips from the sun,” says Hadley King, MD,
a New York City-based dermatologist. “Even if we remember to apply
sunscreen to our face, we may forget to apply it to the lips.” Without
the right protection, the delicate skin on our lips is susceptible to
getting sunburned. Yes, that’s a real thing — and here’s everything you
need to know about it, straight from the pros.
How To Know If Your Lips Are Sunburned
Have
you ever eaten something spicy and felt that tingly, swollen-like
sensation? That’s kind of what sunburned lips feel like. “Sunburned lips
are red, swollen, and painful,” says Kenneth Howe, MD,
of Wexler Dermatology in NYC. “They’ll be sensitive to touch, and may
develop small, white blisters. The lower lip is often more affected than
the upper, because the lower lip catches more light.”
You
should avoid popping any blisters and allow them to subside on their
own. “They are the body’s way of forming a bandage,” says Dr. King. “The
blister serves as a biological dressing, preventing germs from
entering, and the fluid inside works to prevent further damage to the
skin below and to allow the skin to heal.” If a particular blister has
you worried, it’s recommended that you visit a medical professional —
which can be done via telemedicine — to analyze the area.
How To Treat Sunburned Lips
Don’t
panic: There are solutions. The recovery period typically lasts 3-5
days, and you’ll want to avoid exposing your lips to more UV rays during
that time as well as take ibuprofen for relief if it’s painful (consult
the packaging for proper dosage information). When it comes to soothing
the area, both dermatologists recommend aloe vera,
which can be more helpful when chilled in the refrigerator, says Dr.
Howe. You can also relieve the inflamed area by using yogurt or a
washcloth soaked in cold low-fat milk for 15 minutes at a time. “The fat
content of milk cleanses and moisturizes but can hold in heat, so
switch to full-fat milk as the active phase of the sunburn resolves and
the dry and peeling phase begins,” advises Dr. King.
You’ll
also want to avoid heavy oils or petrolatum during the active stage of a
burn because they can trap heat in the skin, which causes further
damage. Additionally, you’ll want to steer clear of possible irritants
in the area for a while, like alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids, retinoids,
lip-plumping ingredients (peppermint or cinnamon oil), and spicy foods.
Try to resist licking your lips, too. “The constant wetting and
evaporation will damage the sensitive, newly-healing skin,” says Dr.
Howe.
You can expect your lips to be dry during the healing
process. From that point, you’ll want to keep them moisturized to
support the skin barrier while continuing to follow the tips above. It’s
also essential that the dry skin is not picked at, or it will prolong
the restorative process. “The old skin provides a layer of protection
over the new skin,” says Dr. King. “It will come off when the new skin
has sufficiently matured and is ready.”
You Can Prevent Sunburned Lips
You’ll want to add lip products with SPF
— like the ones the dermatologists have recommended below — to your
regimen, and carry a tube around with you for reapplication. (Luckily,
sun protection for the lips is easier than ever these days, considering
how frequently we wear facial coverings.) You should also dedicate
attention to your entire face by forming daily habits. “That means
avoiding peak UV hours, seeking shade, and wearing a broad-brimmed hat that provides shade for the face, including the lips,” says Dr. King.
Know The Risks
There
can be long-term — and even dangerous — effects of sunburned lips if
you allow the skin to burn repeatedly and don’t give the sensitive area
the protection it needs. Aside from the possibility of chronically
swollen or misshapen lips, there is greater urgency when it comes to
that area and skin cancer,
according to Dr. Howe. “Skin cancer on the lips behaves much more
aggressively than skin cancer in other locations on the body,” he says.
“Squamous cell cancer of the fleshy portion of the lip is five times
more likely to metastasize (i.e., spread) than similar skin cancers
elsewhere on the body.”
Dr. King adds that not only can
chronically sun-damaged lips result in a condition called actinic
cheilitis, but they can also change in appearance. “They may develop
fine lines and lose their red color and volume,” she says.
Ultimately, it’s essential to take care of your lips and protect them from the sun year-round — because chapped lips are enough to deal with without throwing sun damage into the mix.
See more at Refinery29
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