Lips are among the most exposed parts of our bodies. When winter comes around, not many people can avoid having dry and chapped lips. The cold and dry air is merciless to the skin of the face, and the lips always seem to get the short end of the stick. Though cold weather is a major cause of chapped lips, they can appear at any time of the year.
Some of the symptoms that you might experience include:
- Dryness on and around the lips
- Flakes
- Cracks
- Sores
- Bleeding
What Causes Dry Lips
Lips are not as well protected as the rest of our skin. They don’t contain lubricating (sebaceus) oil glands, which makes them more prone to drying out. Dry and chapped lips (clinically known as cheilitis) can be caused by a variety of reasons, and not all of them are weather-related. Some of the most common reasons for having dry lips are:
1. Dehydration
Chapped lips can be a major indicator that your body is suffering from dehydration. While dehydration manifests on other parts of your skin, the lips can look especially dry. Don’t take dehydration lightly, since it can cause other symptoms like headaches, dry mouth, and constipation. Malnutrition can also have the same effect on your lips as dehydration.
2. Sun or Wind Exposure
Since your lips are constantly out on the open but don’t contain melanin (the pigment which protects the skin), they are particularly predisposed to getting sunburned. Wind can also affect the lips, which is something of which motorcycle riders are well aware.
3. Taking Certain Medications
Some supplements and medicines can cause dry lips, such as retinoids, vitamin A and chemotherapy drugs.
4. Using the Wrong Lip Balm
Some of the commercial lip balms contain drying ingredients and chemicals, which dry out your lips even more. Some of them include alcohol, menthol, salicylic acid, and camphor. You can usually see these in lip cooling or lip plumping products.
5. Licking Your Lips
As much as it is appealing to lick those dry cracks, saliva contains enzymes that start food digestion, which dry out your lips even more. Young children often suck on their lips, which has the same effect.
6. Kawasaki Disease
This illness triggers inflammation in your arteries and most commonly affects children under five years of age. One of the symptoms is having cracked, red and very dry lips, and if this is accompanied by a high fever, red eyes and rashes, please seek medical attention. (In rare cases, heart complications can occur with Kawasaki disease, so take this usually fleeting condition seriously.)
How to Cure Dry Lips
Fortunately there are many ways to prevent dryness and cracking, as well as cure and protect our lips from the weather and all their other “enemies”:
1. Apply Lip Balm
Picking one that smells the nicest shouldn’t be the main criteria when it comes to choosing a lip balm. If you really want to protect your lips, look for ingredients that will lock in the moisture, like petrolatum, lanolin, dimethicone, or just plain beeswax. Also look out for ones that have an SPF rating to protect your lips from the sun. Apply lip balm regularly, especially when you’re going outside and before you go to sleep so it will hydrate your lips overnight. If you’re wearing lipstick, put the lip balm on first.
2. Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drinking lots of water during the day doesn’t just help with dry lips but also your overall health. Also, replenish the moisture in the air by using a humidifier.
3. Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Certain ingredients in our skincare and other products can irritate our lips, such as dyes and fragrances. Try to keep them as far as possible from your mouth to avoid dryness. Apply lip balm before you wash your face since a lot of face wash products contain drying ingredients. Toothpaste and mouthwashes are notorious for causing lip dryness.
4. Treat the Cracks Immediately
If you don’t tend to the cracks in your lips quickly, they might become worse and even infected, which can lead to a cold sore.
5. Go Easy on The Exfoliating
Exfoliating is great for keeping the skin on your lips soft and healthy-looking. But when your lips dry out, they start to peel and roughen, which might tempt you to use an exfoliator. Be careful if you choose to do it because if the skin isn’t entirely dead, your lips might get even worse and start to bleed.
6. Stop Licking Your Lips
Though moisturizing your lips can prevent and cure dry lips, don’t do it by spreading saliva over them. It evaporates and dries out the skin quickly, and the enzymes it contains are meant to digest food. Also, wearing lip balm that tastes like strawberries, orange or cake might make you lick your lips even more.
7. Protect Your Lips from Cold Weather
Applying lip balm might often be enough to protect your lips, but if you’re dealing with really harsh weather conditions, like severe wind and cold, you may need extra protection. Wearing a ski mask or a scarf over your mouth will keep your lips from drying out and cracking.
8. Load Up on Vitamins
Chapped lips can be a sign of vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B is partly responsible for your skin’s moisture retention. You can get vitamin B from foods like broccoli, brown rice, spinach, eggs, and beans. You might also try supplements, though the body is much better at absorbing vitamins from food.
9. Try Natural Remedies
If you want to take the more natural route, you can try using aloe vera gel, coconut oil, honey or rose water. They can prevent cracking, soothe your skin and deeply moisturize your lips.
Conclusion
If you’ve been wondering how to cure dry lips, you should know by now that there are many ways to get rid of this annoying condition. Choosing the right lip balm and drinking enough water might just do the trick. Dry and chapped lips usually don’t require any medical attention and can be easily treated at home, but if the state persists, consult a dermatologist.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kawasaki-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354598
https://www.uwhealth.org/news/help-for-chapped-and-dry-lips/47800
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28488347
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