3 Surprising Facts About Lips
Did you know lips can never get a pimple? (Photo: Camilla Akrans)
They can sip, smile, and—on good nights—kiss. But we bet you didn’t know the following about your lips:
1. They’re made of two things: muscle and the thinnest skin on your body. “Your lips are more susceptible to sun damage than any other part of your body,” says Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist in New York City. “And lip gloss magnifies UV rays, making lips even more likely to burn.” Wear a balm with SPF 30, like Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm,daily. “And if you find new freckles on the lips, get them checked out immediately,” says Wechsler.
Related: The Most Flattering Haircuts for Women in Their 40s
2. They never perspire, and they can never get a pimple. That’s because your lips don’t have any sweat or oil glands. (Every other square inch of your skin—except for the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet—has oil glands.) This is why lips can get chapped even in warm weather and are so easily irritated, even by saliva: They lack the protective benefits of natural oils.
3. Along with nipples, lips have the highest density of nerve endings of any area on the body, says Wechsler. That explains why they’re an erogenous zone and, OK, so does one other thing: “The skin on your lips is actually a type of skin called mucosa,” says Joshua Zeichner, a dermatologist in New York City. That’s the same skin that you find, um, below the belt.
By Elizabeth Siegel
More from Allure:
10 Best Dry Shampoos Under $20
10 Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger
Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape
The Prettiest Date-Night Makeup Looks
