Chapped lips can be dry, torn, and painful. This disorder is generally due to several factors, such as dry weather, lip licking, or even taking certain medications. The discomfort is particularly severe during the winter months. Fortunately, you can avoid this unpleasant occurrence with some simple remedies. Read on to learn more.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Topical Products
Step 1. Put on the lip balm
This moisturizing product promotes healing and prevents lips from chapping. In addition, it retains moisture and protects this delicate part of the body from environmental irritants.
- Apply it every 1-2 hours to treat dry lips and keep them healthy.
- Get a balm that has at least an SPF of 16 to protect your lips from sun damage.
- Apply lip balm after spreading a moisturizer.
- Look for a product that contains beeswax, petroleum jelly, or dimethicone.
Step 2. Try Vaseline
This product "seals" and protects the lips by acting a bit like a balm. It also protects the skin from the aggressive action of the sun, which could dry out and crack it.
Apply lip-specific sunscreen before spreading a layer of petroleum jelly
Step 3. Apply a moisturizer
This way the lips stay hydrated more easily and absorb moisture better. Moisturizing products are an important aspect of lip care to keep them moist as much as possible. Check that the product contains one of the following ingredients:
- Shea butter;
- Emu oil;
- Vitamin E oil;
- Coconut oil.
Method 2 of 3: Caring for Your Lips
Step 1. Use a humidifier to increase the humidity in the air
If you live in a region with a particularly dry climate, you can prevent your lips from chapping and drying out by activating this device, which you can buy in major household centers and pharmacies.
- You should bring the air humidity level in your home to a range of between 30 and 50%.
- Keep the humidifier clean and wash it following the directions on the package; otherwise, molds, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms could form which compromise health.
Step 2. When the weather conditions are unfavorable, do not go outside without the proper protection
If you expose your lips to the sun, wind, or cold, they can dry out. Always wear lip balm or cover your mouth with a scarf before venturing out of the house.
- Keep the moisture on your lips with a sunscreen balm or lip balm to avoid sunburn (remember that lips can also get burned in the sun!).
- Apply it 30 minutes before going out.
- If you swim, you need to reapply it often.
Step 3. Pay attention to your intake of vitamins and other essential nutrients
If you have a vitamin deficiency, your lips can become dehydrated and cracked. Make sure you are getting adequate amounts of the following vitamins and minerals (see your doctor if you are concerned that your current consumption is not enough for your needs):
- Vitamins of group B;
- Iron;
- Essential fatty acids;
- Multivitamin products;
- Mineral supplements.
Step 4. Drink lots of water
Dehydration can lead to dry, chapped lips. You should increase your water intake to keep your lips well hydrated.
- In winter, the air is particularly dry, so this season you should hydrate even more.
- Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
Method 3 of 3: Avoid Irritants
Step 1. Rule out the possibility of allergies
You may be allergic to substances that come into contact with your lips; fragrances and dyes are the most common causes. If your lips chapped frequently, use only colorless and odorless products.
- Toothpaste is another common irritant. If your lips are itchy, dry, sore, or blister after brushing, you may be allergic to some substance in the product. Try changing your toothpaste and go for a natural one, with few added preservatives, dyes, or flavors.
- Lipstick is the most common cause of contact cheilitis (contact allergy) in women, but toothpaste is the main cause of lip allergies in men.
Step 2. Don't lick your lips
This habit only makes the situation worse. Even if you think that by doing this you are hydrating them, it actually dries them even more. People who tend to lick their lips too often suffer from "perioral and lip dermatitis", thus causing itchy rashes around the mouth. Try to use lip balm to soothe the feeling of dry lips.
- Don't use flavored lip balm, as it causes you to lick your lips more often.
- Do not overdo the product, because even in this case you would be induced to lick your lips often.
Step 3. Don't bite or pinch them
Biting them could remove the protective layer that covers them and thus dry them further. Let your lips heal and come back healthy without pinching or biting them.
- Pay attention to the occasions when you bite or pinch them - sometimes you may not even realize it.
- Also ask friends to help you not tease them if they see that you are doing it unknowingly.
Step 4. Avoid certain foods
Acidic and spicy foods can irritate the lips. Check them after eating and see if there are any signs of irritation. Try to eliminate these foods from your diet for a few weeks and see if the symptoms are reduced.
- Exclude any food or sauce with chillies from your diet.
- Don't eat any foods that are too acidic, such as tomatoes.
- Some foods, such as mango peel, contain irritants that you should avoid.
Step 5. Breathe through your nose
The constant passage of air through the mouth due to breathing can dry out and crack the lips. To remedy this, breathe through your nose.
If you have trouble breathing through your nose, see your doctor, as you may have allergies or other health problems that are causing you congestion
Step 6. Check the medications you are taking
Some medicines may also include dry lips as side effects. Talk to your doctor to find out if any of the ones you are taking can cause this disorder. Among the drugs potentially responsible for dry lips (by prescription or even over the counter) consider those for the following treatments:
- Depression;
- Anxiety;
- Pain
- Severe form of acne (Accutane);
- Congestion, allergies and other breathing problems.
- Never stop medication without first discussing it with your doctor.
- Ask your doctor to offer you some alternatives or tell you how to manage these side effects.
Step 7. Know when it's time to see your doctor
In some cases, chapped lips can be a sign of some other condition that requires medical treatment. If you have any of the following symptoms, see your doctor:
- Persistent cracking despite care;
- Very painful cracking;
- Swelling or leaking of fluid from the lips
- Cracks on the sides of the mouth
- Painful sores on or near the lips
- Blisters that don't heal.
Advice
- Always drink plenty of water and keep yourself well hydrated.
- Try applying lip balm or lip balm in the evening before bed to prevent dry lips the next morning.
- Remember to apply a moisturizer in the morning, this is when the lips are at their driest.
- Apply lip balm before eating and wash your lips after meals.
- The main causes of dry, chapped lips are sun, wind, and cold or dry air.
- Wash your hands before touching your face to spread a moisturizer or conditioner.
- An alternative is to apply honey to the lips before bedtime.
