SPF chapstick helps prevent skin cancer on the lip

Rebecca Hooyer, dental hygienist
for Promise Community Health
Center, cautions people who
work outside about the danger
of skin cancer on the lip.
She recommends the use
SPF chapstick.

by Rebecca Hooyer, dental hygienist

Summer is a busy time for our farmers and anyone who works outside.

How many, though, are using Sun Protection Factor (SPF) chapstick? I can think of very few men. However, using SPF chapstick can help prevent a dangerous, rarely talked about problem: skin cancer.

To be more specific, skin cancer on the lip.

The bottom lip is exposed to more sun than the top lip and can be a site for either basal cell carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas. It is more likely to appear in fair-skinned men over 50 years old who spend a lot of time outdoors.

It is quite treatable if caught early. One should look for sores in or around the mouth, especially on the bottom lip, that do not heal within a couple weeks. The earlier it is caught, the better.

There is a greater risk for people who smoke or consume alcohol. Those individuals should make a habit of doing daily oral cancer screenings. Some good places to check are the sides of the tongue, lips and the cheeks. Again, one is looking for sores that do not heal within a couple of weeks.

If you see something suspicious in the mouth that does not heal, you should see your doctor or dentist.

Stay safe this summer, and remember the SPF!

Rebecca Hooyer is a dental hygienist at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision and behavioral health services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com.