Body shot combos, lowered guard, and taking hits to the face?

Had a question about throwing body shot combos (e.g. throwing two or three hooks to the body in sequence).

I'm always a little hesitant to throw those 2-3 body shot combos because my hands are both down while I'm throwing the sequence and I get pretty fearful for a nasty straight or some kind of counter to my face.

Do I just accept that it'll be somewhat of a potential trade of a head shot for a body shots? Or are there some tips/tricks to throwing those body shot sequences that reduce the chances of getting smacked in the face while throwing them?

EDIT: I'm speaking to when you throw the body shot combos with, for example, left hook followed by right hook to the body (or vice versa).