I'm pretty confident in stating most of us know by now just how important it is to wear SPF. And I don't just mean when you're heading off on holiday; when it comes to your face, I mean every.single.day come rain or shine. Whatever the weather, damaging UV rays are able to penetrate the skin, accelerating ageing and causing potential long term problems. But when it comes to your face, there are certain areas where it's unclear if you need to wear SPF. For example; should you wear SPF on your lips? Let's take a look see.
Unsurprisingly, the answer is actually yes; you should try and wear SPF on your lips as well as on your face. The overwhelming reason for this is that the lips are particularly sensitive to the sun and the damage it can cause. "People forget to protect their lips," Elizabeth Tanzi, founder and director of Capital Laser & Skin Care, and associate clinical professor in the department of dermatology at George Washington University Medical Center, told Allure. "Skin cancer in this area can be particularly dangerous, which is why everyone needs lip balm with SPF."
Board-certified dermatologist Michael Swann, MD, agrees, telling Refinery29:
"SPF on the lips is important. Lips are actually a common place for skin cancers, and because the barrier function of the skin on the lips is less vigorous, these tumours can quickly behave more aggressively than the same tumours in other locations."
So in short, yes, it is extremely important to provide UV protection for your lips — especially when you are in hotter climates and are directly exposed to the sun. Our lips should be treated like our face, but because our lips dry out so quickly, it's a good idea to reapply our chosen balm more often for full protection.
Luckily for us, there are so many options now when it comes to SPF lip formulas. Here's a few of my favourites.
