How to Protect Your Lips from Sun Damage?
Dr. B. Kanagasabapathy
[M.D.S. (Ortho), Fellow ICOI]
The warmer weather associated with sunny seasons elevates the body temperature. Subsequently, we encounter troubles like extreme sweating, dehydration, clammy skin, etc. The extreme summer heat is quite hard on our oral health so dental dilemmas like dry mouth, bad breath, cracks in tooth enamel are inevitable. The heat and ultraviolet rays of the sun affect your lips also and it leads to soreness, discoloration, dryness in the lips. However, many people are not aware of this fact.
The skin of our lips is very thin and contains almost no melanin so that the lips cannot safeguard themselves from the sunlight. Hence you should indulge in necessary activities to protect your lips in the warmest months.
Why should you protect your lips during summer season?
Taking good care of your lips and keeping your lips safe, especially during summer is recommended to avert various worst-case scenarios.
Even though sunlight is a great source of Vitamin D that is pivotal for promoting dental health, the sun’s harmful UV rays are awful on our physical and oral health.
Prolonged sun exposure on lips will weaken the collagen and consequently make the lips weak, causing sunburns. Moreover, long-term exposure to harmful UV rays in sunlight would put the skin at risk of developing cancer. As the lips receive more sun exposure, the skin covering them is damaged badly thereby the lips are highly susceptible to cancer than any parts of the body.
What should you do to protect your lips from sunlight?
- Drink more water – It is not a new thing but we mention it here because lips do not contain oil glands as other areas of the skin, So they can dry, chap easily during warm weather seasons. Hence you should drink plenty of water to hydrate the skin and other tissues in lips.
- Apply lip balm with SPF – Similar to water, lip balms are suggested for rehydrating your lips because frequent moisturization will protect the lips from harmful rays in sunlight. Many people use lip balm SPF 15 for this purpose but they have a UVB filter alone thereby they cannot protect against UVA rays. Hence dental doctors and oral hygienists prescribe lip balm SPF 30 that can protect the lips from UVA and UVB rays. You can apply the cream at regular intervals or every time you wipe out your lips for activities like drinking, eating.
- Don’t use lip gloss – Lip glosses have pigments and ingredients to make your lips shine. On the other hand, the high gloss, sheer lipstick attracts UV rays and other dangerous compounds in sunlight. So it is better to avoid lip glosses during sunny days.
- Wear a sun-blocking hat – It is the best alternative way to prevent skin lips from exposing to sunlight. If you don’t want to apply lip balms or sunscreen creams, wearing wide brim sun hats will be the right choice to meet your needs.
How can you sunburn blisters on your lip at home?
Along with clinical treatments, some natural solutions help you to get relief and quickly fix the sunburned lips. Here are some instances:
- Apply Aloe Vera Gel
- Cold Compress
- Take anti-inflammatory medications
- Take saliva substitutes
- Use moisturizers
- Try Hydrocortisone (It reduces itching and swelling associated with sunburn blisters)
Sunburned lips appear as small, white, fluid-filled bumps on lips. It is prevalent during summer days and causes pain, tenderness, swelling in the lips. Usually, sunburn blisters heal on their own within 7 to 14 days. If they exist after that, consult your dentist.
Don’t neglect the sunburns and other damages on lips due to excess sun exposure. Your lips cannot cope with the extreme heat thereby they are easily affected and provide a way for serious dilemmas including skin cancer. So you should take precautionary steps to avoid such sun damage on lips.
