Skincare Strategies from the You Docs

The Vulnerable Body Part You Forget To Cover
By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D. You wear sunscreen. A shirt that's guaranteed to have SPF protection. And don't forget the hat. But there's one place most people forget to put on the sun protection: the lips.

In fact, more than 60 percent of regular sunscreen users skip their lips. But faithfully applying -- and reapplying -- SPF products there doubles your chances of keeping your lips kissably cancer-free. That's especially important since the lips are a surprisingly common spot for squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer. It's even more likely to occur on your lower lip. Why? That's where you get more sun exposure.

Don't just slather on any old product: Be picky about what (and whom, of course) you put on your kisser. Dermatologists believe wearing shiny lip gloss focuses more UV rays on your lips. So use an SPF-fortified lip balm and reapply several times a day -- including after eating or swimming and whenever you or someone you love touches your lipstick.

If you've already had sun damage to your lips (yes, you), then consider moisturizing them with a little extra-virgin olive oil when you're at home (it doesn't contain SPF, so it's indoors-only wear). Too weird? OK, just look for products that contain it. This kitchen staple has been shown to decrease UVB damage to the skin (and UVB is what's associated with these squamous cell lip cancers).