Shiny lip balms and glosses may attract ultraviolet rays and increase the risk of skin cancer, warns a dermatologist at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas. Dr. Christine Brown noted that protecting your lips from harmful sun rays is as important as using sunscreen to protect your skin. But a recent study found that less than 25 percent of Americans use some form of lip protection. Lips are more susceptible than skin to aging from chronic sun damage and also more prone to developing serious cancers. ‘When skin cancer occurs on the lower lip, it has the potential to be much more aggressive and metastasize to surrounding lymph nodes,’ Brown said in a prepared statement. Shiny balms and glosses don’t offer protection. Instead, they attract the sun’s rays to the lips. ‘What most people don’t realize is they’re actually increasing light penetration through the lip surface by applying something clear and shiny to them,’ Brown said. Women should only wear glossy lipsticks in the sun when they have a layer of sun protection on underneath, dermatologists advise. Anyone who’s planning on being outdoors for more than 20 minutes at a time should use […]