Vanity about my pale-pink complexion, starting when it was cool to be tan in the late ’80s, has led to three painful rounds of topical chemotherapy on my face, which is really not pretty, friends.

So let me share some hard-won and perhaps surprising wisdom for anyone who likes to spend time outside, especially here in Colorado, where elevation means you’re even closer to that giant orb that provides a glorious 300 days of intense light a year.

You may slap some sunscreen on your nose already, but make sure you also cover these other bits:

Protect your lips. I thought my constantly peeling lips were just a sign of dry skin. Nope. Those are precancerous spots. The skin on your lips is very fragile and thin. But most lip balms don’t do anything to protect them from burns and damage. After looking long and hard, I found Aquaphor with SPF 30 online and ordered a jumbo stash to keep in the car, in my hiking daypack, in my purse, in my bathroom…you get the idea. I even use it before I take out the dog, because here in sunny Denver you can burn in less than 10 minutes.

Protect your hands. They’re almost as exposed as your lips. And if you have a small streak of vanity like me, you’ll want to avoid “age spots” or “liver spots,” those dark brown patches that are not a sign of aging at all, but actually sun damage. It’s really dry here in semi-arid Colorado, especially in the winter (and yet still…