Your lips need protection - keeping your skin healthy - Brief Article

Nutrition Health Review,  Summer, 2002  

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Skin cancer is the most common and the fastest-growing cancer in the United States.

The American Cancer Society estimates that physicians detected approximately 3 million new cases of the highly curable basal cell or squamous cell cancers and 47,700 cases of melanoma--the most serious form of skin cancer in 2000.

The high incidence of melanoma, a potentially dangerous skin cancer of pigmented cells called melanocytes, is especially alarming, given the time people spend in the sun during the summer months. According to one study by the American Academy of Dermatology, the number of diagnosed cases of malignant melanoma has increased from six cases per 100,000 to 12 per 100,000 over the last 30 years.

"The face and lips are two of the most exposed areas of the body and should be protected accordingly, with lotion and lip balm with an SPF [sun protection factor] of at least 15," said Dr. Charles Zugerman, associate professor of clinical dermatology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.

"Because lips contain little to no melanin for protection, they are especially vulnerable to sun damage," Dr. Zugerman said. "That's why people need to make sure that lip care is part of their skin care regimen, not only in the summer, but every day."

Although the long-term effects of sun damage may not be visible immediately, the collagen (protein) that gives lips body and resilience changes from excessive sun exposure. More important, Dr. Zugerman warns, lip cancer may not be evident until decades after the damage is done.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Vegetus Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group