Chapped Lips
What Are Chapped Lips?
Chapped lips are when your lips feel dry and cracked. If your lips burn, sting, or feel uncomfortable, they’re probably chapped.
You may think of chapped lips as something that only happens in the winter. But unless you take special care, your lips can get dry, sore, and scaly any time of year. This is especially true if you have a habit of licking or biting your lips or use products that irritate and dry out your lips.
Symptoms of Chapped Lips
Symptoms of chapped lips include:
Dryness
Cracks, peeling, or flaking
Bleeding
Redness
Burning, stinging or tingling
Causes and Risk Factors of Chapped Lips
Various things can cause chapped lips or make them more likely. These include:
Dry weather
Dry air indoors
Lack of oil glands in your lips
Not moisturizing your lips
Wearing irritating lipsticks or balms
Harsh or drying products like menthol, camphor, or salicylic acid
Too much sun
Excessive licking, touching or picking your lips
Not drinking enough water
Holding metal with your lips
Treatment and Prevention of Chapped Lips
Your lips don’t have oil glands, and they're almost always exposed to the elements. So if you don't take care of them, you'll pay the price. What can you do to keep them safe?
Use lip balm. A good balm protects the delicate lip skin from the elements. Choose one with a high plasticizer content. Check out the ingredients list for petrolatum to lock in moisture and dimethicone to fill cracks and crevices on dry lips. Do not limit yourself to products that contain the word balm. Lip balm is a good choice as well.
Apply early and often. Whatever kind of product you choose, apply it before applying lipstick or lip gloss, not after.Reapply regularly to protect your lips. You need about 6-8 coats during the day, so apply first thing in the morning, last at night, and every few hours during the day. To make this easier, stash one in your bag, one in your car, a third on your desk, and one near your bed.
Protect your lips when you are outside. Cover your limbs when the temperature drops. Do the same for your lips. Wear a scarf or ski mask when going out in cold weather. And don't forget to choose a lip balm with broad-spectrum UV protection all year round.
drink up You know it has myriad benefits for your body.One of them is fighting dehydration that leads to cracked lips.
Use a humidifier indoors. These devices deliver the moisture your lips and skin crave. It's nice to have one of him both at work and at home, especially in winter. Apply at night to replenish skin's moisture while you sleep.
Don't lick your lips. It may seem like a good idea at the moment, but licking her lips is the worst thing you can do for her. Dry saliva draws more moisture from her skin. Instead, pick up some lip balm.
Do not peel off or chew on the scaly skin. The skin on your lips is thin and delicate. Picking it can cause bleeding and pain, slow healing, and cause further irritation.
Do not peel. It can cause even more damage to chapped lips. Instead, apply a generous amount of balm or ointment and turn on the humidifier.
listen to your lips Some treatments may do more harm than good. Ingredients such as eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor can dry out or irritate your lips. Stay away from them, especially if you have dry skin. If you're allergic to vegetable oils or moisturizers like beeswax, shea butter, castor oil, or soybean oil, switch to petroleum jelly-based products.
call a doctor. If the problem persists, consult a dermatologist. Cracks that don't heal despite regular use of lip balm can be a sign of an infection or a more serious problem such as cancer or a precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis.
Chapped lips are when your lips feel dry and cracked. If your lips burn, sting, or feel uncomfortable, they’re probably chapped.
You may think of chapped lips as something that only happens in the winter. But unless you take special care, your lips can get dry, sore, and scaly any time of year. This is especially true if you have a habit of licking or biting your lips or use products that irritate and dry out your lips.
Symptoms of Chapped Lips
Symptoms of chapped lips include:
Dryness
Cracks, peeling, or flaking
Bleeding
Redness
Burning, stinging or tingling
Causes and Risk Factors of Chapped Lips
Various things can cause chapped lips or make them more likely. These include:
Dry weather
Dry air indoors
Lack of oil glands in your lips
Not moisturizing your lips
Wearing irritating lipsticks or balms
Harsh or drying products like menthol, camphor, or salicylic acid
Too much sun
Excessive licking, touching or picking your lips
Not drinking enough water
Holding metal with your lips
Treatment and Prevention of Chapped Lips
Your lips don’t have oil glands, and they're almost always exposed to the elements. So if you don't take care of them, you'll pay the price. What can you do to keep them safe?
Use lip balm. A good balm protects the delicate lip skin from the elements. Choose one with a high plasticizer content. Check out the ingredients list for petrolatum to lock in moisture and dimethicone to fill cracks and crevices on dry lips. Do not limit yourself to products that contain the word balm. Lip balm is a good choice as well.
Apply early and often. Whatever kind of product you choose, apply it before applying lipstick or lip gloss, not after.Reapply regularly to protect your lips. You need about 6-8 coats during the day, so apply first thing in the morning, last at night, and every few hours during the day. To make this easier, stash one in your bag, one in your car, a third on your desk, and one near your bed.
Protect your lips when you are outside. Cover your limbs when the temperature drops. Do the same for your lips. Wear a scarf or ski mask when going out in cold weather. And don't forget to choose a lip balm with broad-spectrum UV protection all year round.
drink up You know it has myriad benefits for your body.One of them is fighting dehydration that leads to cracked lips.
Use a humidifier indoors. These devices deliver the moisture your lips and skin crave. It's nice to have one of him both at work and at home, especially in winter. Apply at night to replenish skin's moisture while you sleep.
Don't lick your lips. It may seem like a good idea at the moment, but licking her lips is the worst thing you can do for her. Dry saliva draws more moisture from her skin. Instead, pick up some lip balm.
Do not peel off or chew on the scaly skin. The skin on your lips is thin and delicate. Picking it can cause bleeding and pain, slow healing, and cause further irritation.
Do not peel. It can cause even more damage to chapped lips. Instead, apply a generous amount of balm or ointment and turn on the humidifier.
listen to your lips Some treatments may do more harm than good. Ingredients such as eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor can dry out or irritate your lips. Stay away from them, especially if you have dry skin. If you're allergic to vegetable oils or moisturizers like beeswax, shea butter, castor oil, or soybean oil, switch to petroleum jelly-based products.
call a doctor. If the problem persists, consult a dermatologist. Cracks that don't heal despite regular use of lip balm can be a sign of an infection or a more serious problem such as cancer or a precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis.
31 Dec 2022
