Wearing sunscreen daily is a must. You (hopefully) apply broad spectrum SPF on your face and body frequently throughout the day—but do you extend that due diligence to your lips, too? Sunburned lips are a common woe with excessive sun exposure, which can lead to not only discomfort and irritation, but also premature aging (including fine lines around the lips) and even skin cancer. Here’s how to heal sunburned lips with home remedies and after-sun skincare products—and how to protect lips from sun damage altogether.
Sunburned Lips 101
Can your lips get sunburned? (Really?!) Yes, the sun can easily burn the lip area, especially because the lips have thinner skin than the rest of the body, making it even more delicate and burn-prone. Additionally, the sun can burn dry, chapped lips more easily, says the American Academy of Dermatology.
Sunburned lips often mimic the telltale signs of sunburned skin: redness, heat radiating from the burn, dryness, itching, and discomfort. In more severe cases, bleeding, blisters, and peeling can occur. Burns can even trigger cold sores for some, notes the AAD.
How To Heal Sunburned Lips
Treating a sunburn on the lips is similar to preventing peeling from sunburn and requires some basic products, many of which you likely already have at home. Healing sunburned lips begins with applying a cool compress to ease the burning sensation and swelling instantly, while hydrocortisone cream, found at any drugstore, can address redness and swelling, too. Aloe will help calm, cool, and hydrate the area as well—bonus points if it’s kept in a cool place for an additional boost of soothing.
Sunburned Lips Treatment
The ultimate method for avoiding sunburned lips is prevention, either by applying a lip balm with SPF sunscreen or protecting your skin from sun exposure altogether using hats, UPF clothing, and more. Slather on a non-irritating lip mask or balm with SPF 25 or higher before going outdoors and reapply every two hours or after eating or drinking.
The Kissu Lip Tint SPF 25
Perhaps you’re searching for the ultimate lip formula: a moisturizing, SPF-boosted lip product with a flattering flush of color? Look no further because Tatcha’s Kissu Lip Tint SPF 25 is finally available. Made with silk protein and botanical lanolin, this brand-new unscented formula hydrates lips and seals in moisture while protecting from UVA and UVB rays with SPF 25. Available in three universally flattering shades, The Kissu Lip Tint is unique in that the formula is customizable and builds from sheer to medium coverage in just a few easy swipes.
The smooth, non-sticky formula keeps lips moisturized and comfortable, and clinical studies agree. 100 percent of panelists agreed that the Kissu Lip Tint seals in moisture* and after one week of use, 97 percent of users noted their lips felt protected when outside in the sun.**
*Based on a bio-instrumentation (TEWL) clinical study on 42 panelists.
**Based on self-assessment questions within a clinical study on 42 panelists.
The Kissu Lip Mask
Also, because we now know dry, chapped lips burn more easily, it’s important to keep lips hydrated. Grab the bestselling Kissu Lip Mask, which features plant-based squalane, Japanese peach extract, and camellia oil to nourish, calm, and restore lips’ lushness. This uniquely textured jelly treatment melts into lips, locking in moisture and repairing parched lips. Massage a generous, even layer onto clean, dry lips day or night and leave it on to soak in indefinitely.
Sunscreen – whether it be for the face, body, or lips – is an investment in the health of your skin and overall well-being. Ensure you keep your skin as healthy as possible by following sunscreen best practices—including slathering on SPF-included lip products as needed. Your plump, hydrated, tinted, and protected lips will thank you.
