Top NY doc explains what we're all getting wrong about SPF, and OMG— who knew?

It turns out we're all using our favorite SPF products wrong, but there's an easy fix.

If you're from the New York area, you've probably already heard of Dr. Doris Day countless times. She has her own satellite radio show, appears just about weekly on popular morning shows like Live with Kelly and Ryan and The View, is the author of Beyond Beautiful, and is simply one of the most sought-after New York City board certified dermatologists. And now she's telling us we've all been missing a very, very important part of our SPF routine.

Drew Dau/Unsplash

"Our lips are exposed to UV rays as much as the rest of our face, but they don’t get the attention they deserve," Day says of this underserved, and under-protected facial area. "Skin cancer can occur on the lips and when it does it can be more aggressive than on other areas of the face. The lips can also age, freckle, and wrinkle which is in large part due to UV exposure over time."

Those freckles, wrinkles, and other weathered-seemings symptoms of sun exposure aren't just a beauty nuisance, but a real health issue over time— especially for those with fair complexions and those prone to smoking (tobacco or otherwise). "Lips can age just as the rest of the face's skin, but the layers of skin and fat are proportionally different on the lips than other parts of the face," says Day. "Lips don't have oil glands or pores, which is why you don't get pimples or hair growth there, but can still wrinkle, freckle, and age."

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In the short term, after just several minutes of sun exposure, the lips can feel dry and chapped. The natural train of thought for most is probably just to load up on lip balm, gloss, and other hydrating products, but they may actually make the issue worse.

"When you hydrate the lips what you’re doing is you’re making it more possible for UV rays to be absorbed into the skin which will increase their damaging effects. Lip balms and oils are excellent hydrators and attractors of UV rays," explains Day. "If you have an opaque lipstick this will create a physical barrier and will offer some protection, or you need a balm that specifically offers SPF."

Those physical barriers are more important than we think, and something cosmetic chemists like Krupa Koestline, a clean cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Consultants, says we should be looking for in our sun-protective products. "Physical UV filters are mineral-based and consist of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide," she says, suggesting consumers look for those ingredients on their sunscreen labels. "Chemical sunscreen is everything else— avobenzone, octocrylene, oxybencone, padimate o, octinoxate, octisalate, and homosalate. Both types of UV filters work by absorbing UV energy and turning it into heat. All physical sunscreens tend to reflect and scatter five to 10 percent of incoming UV, while only a few chemical sunscreens do so."

Hello Products Vegan Lip Balm SPF 15Hello Products

The moral of the story is, physical sunscreens get the job done better (and some studies may argue they're safer), and looking for zinc oxide or titanium oxide in your sun protection products is the first step to finding the right SPF for your lips.

"Hello's Vegan Lip Balm SPF 15 is formulated with zinc oxide, a physical sunscreen," Krupa says. "I did not formulate this, but in general, lip balms with a mineral SPF coat a uniform film of SPF over the lips to protect it from UV rays while moisturizing it."

Have you been adding SPF to your lips or will you start now? We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.