Shiny lip balms and glosses could boost the risk of skin cancer, a dermatologist has warned.

Christine White of Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas says the glossiness of such lip coatings may attract ultraviolet sun rays, increasing the chance for getting skin cancer, HealthDay reports.

"What most people don't realize is they're actually increasing light penetration through the lip surface by applying something clear and shiny to them," Brown says in the story, which highlights a recent study finding that less than 25 percent of Americans wear some form of skin protection.

Dermatologists advise users to wear a layer of SPF 30 sun protection beneath any glossy lip balms.

Click here to read more on this story from HealthDay.