The hidden dangers of lip gloss
Categories: Just for moms, Health & safety, In the news
My 7-year-old is crazy for the lip gloss. She can be convinced to wear lip balm, but prefers the shiny wet look that can only be achieved through the liberal application of gooey, flavored lip gloss. If it has sparkles in it, even better. The resulting shimmery pout is inappropriate enough on a little girl, but there's an even better reason to toss all that stuff in the trash: lip gloss can be hazardous to your health.
Some dermatologists say that not only does lip gloss not protect your lips from the harmful UV rays of the sun, it can actually make those rays even more damaging. If your gloss has SPF, then you needn't worry. But many of them - even those pricey brands - do not. Dermatologist Bruce Robinson says the shine of the gloss acts like a magnifying glass between the sun and your lips and the moisture in the gloss "kind of smooshes" down the natural protective outer layer, allowing those UV rays to penetrate even deeper into the skin.
"Instead of having to travel through that thicker layer, it's more condensed," Robinson says. "So the UV rays are reaching deeper layers of epidermis and dermis because you don't have this forcefield."
And while skin cancer is a very real concern when you're talking UV rays and skin, it isn't the only one. Too much exposure can result in non-cancerous disfigurement of your lips, including actinic keratosis (a small, scaly patch that can turn into a wart-like bump) and lip freckling. Nothing sparkly and pretty about that.
Not all dermatologists agree there is a connection between lip gloss and skin cancer but I am a firm believer in erring on the side of caution. They do make lip gloss with SPF protection, so why not use it?
Some dermatologists say that not only does lip gloss not protect your lips from the harmful UV rays of the sun, it can actually make those rays even more damaging. If your gloss has SPF, then you needn't worry. But many of them - even those pricey brands - do not. Dermatologist Bruce Robinson says the shine of the gloss acts like a magnifying glass between the sun and your lips and the moisture in the gloss "kind of smooshes" down the natural protective outer layer, allowing those UV rays to penetrate even deeper into the skin.
"Instead of having to travel through that thicker layer, it's more condensed," Robinson says. "So the UV rays are reaching deeper layers of epidermis and dermis because you don't have this forcefield."
And while skin cancer is a very real concern when you're talking UV rays and skin, it isn't the only one. Too much exposure can result in non-cancerous disfigurement of your lips, including actinic keratosis (a small, scaly patch that can turn into a wart-like bump) and lip freckling. Nothing sparkly and pretty about that.
Not all dermatologists agree there is a connection between lip gloss and skin cancer but I am a firm believer in erring on the side of caution. They do make lip gloss with SPF protection, so why not use it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
the goddess anna 5-06-2008 @ 3:12PM
Hey, I have a freckle on my lip! Had it for over 20 years now - it was my first freckle in fact. I object to the statement that lip freckling is not pretty.
This article does make me happy that I hate lip gloss. It always catches stray hair, and then you get goo in your hair and across the cheek. My daughter likes to put stuff on her lips too, but I let her use my Burt's Bees pomengranate lip balm. It's got a nice light rose color to it, and it's not full of gross goo.
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Mel 5-06-2008 @ 6:24PM
The title of this article is cracking me up! I gotta email John Stossel about this - he's always searching for hysteria to expose and squash.
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Kamon 7-23-2008 @ 12:08AM
I love lip gloss that is not sticky. I use Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer and go out in the sun pretty consistently. I tan fairly easily but just have to use sunscreen on my face and shoulders. Recently I was out in the sun all day and used my lip shimmer throughout the day. A few days later a freckle on my lower lip. My lips where also throughly burned and chapped. I figured it was because of the lip shimmer that contains NO SPF but instead lots of oils that pretty much acts as tanning oil on your lips so they get extra fried. I'm not to worried about the freckle on my lip but I'm planning to get it checked out. However, I strongly recommend not giving up wearing lip gloss but wearing some with SPF protection. The long-term effects will catch up to you.
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