Chapped lips, commonly known as cheilitis, are a very unpleasant problem. Lip skin is significantly thinner and more sensitive than the skin on some other regions of your body. In addition, lips are subjected to environmental factors such as the sunlight and frigid, dry air, making them vulnerable to dryness, cracks, peeling, and flaking.
Because the lips have tiny oil glands, they cannot manufacture their moisture; nevertheless, natural moisturizers can aid. However, home treatments can help cure chapped lips without further drying them out.
A Good Lip-Balm Goes A Long Way
Menthol and camphor are examples of drying lip balm components. A few lip balms are better than others, and popular ones may include drying chemicals. Many lip balms, for example, contain menthol or a similar mint flavor. This can produce a cooling feeling, but mint is extremely drying and can leave your lips chapped much more than before. Menthol, phenol, and camphor are common drying agents in lip balms. Avoid flavored and scented lip products since these substances can also cause dryness.
Go For Natural Remedies Or Products
There are various natural cures for chapped lips that are helpful. You may even find some in your kitchen.
Apply the following straight on chapped lips to soothe and hydrate them:
· Aloe vera: This gel develops within the leaves of aloe vera plants. It is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and anti-inflammatories, rehydrating and soothing the damaged skin.
· Coconut oil: This oil is made from the flesh of coconuts and is an emollient, which means it helps soothe and soften the skin.
· Honey: Honey is incredibly hydrating, making it an excellent cure for dry lips. Honey also includes antioxidants and antibacterial qualities, which aid in preventing infections in very dry or cracked lips.
· Cucumber: Cucumber may gently hydrate the lips and may include vitamins and minerals that help improve the look of the lips.
· Green tea: It’s high in antioxidants and minerals, and it also includes polyphenols, which help decrease inflammation. To soften and eliminate extra dry skin, soak a bag of green tea in warm water and gently wipe it over the lips. This method is gentler than standard exfoliation.
Aloe vera, honey, and coconut oil are all antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, which can help prevent infection while hydrating and calming the skin of the lips.
Exfoliate
Chapped lips have a covering of dry skin that prevents therapeutic components in lip balms from reaching the correct spot. You can use lip scrubs with sugar or baking soda to exfoliate away this dry skin gently.
When searching for a lip scrub, seek elements to soothe and moisturize the lips. People may purchase these lip scrubs at medicine shops or online to discover various natural solutions.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
Chapped lips can be due to dehydration. When it’s about dry or chapped lips, dehydration is a significant cause. People may not realize they are somewhat dehydrated. Thus it is a good idea to drink water throughout the day.
When the body loses more fluid than it takes in, it becomes dehydrated. The body draws water from specific locations to keep the cells hydrated whenever the body is dehydrated. This can cause skin dryness, especially dryness of the lips.
Dehydration can also cause the following symptoms:
· feeling thirsty and thirsty mouth
· dizziness
· a migraine
The amount of water that you should consume varies based on various parameters, including a person’s gender, age, and degree of physical activity.
Smoking Not Only Causes Cancer But Has Other Effects
Smoking tobacco can damage the delicate skin surrounding the lips, causing them to dry out and split.
Smoking can also lead to oral health issues such as mouth ulcers and gum inflammation.
People who stop smoking may discover that their chapped lips improve as their skin heals.
Keeping Dry And Chapped Lips At Bay
Using sunscreen and avoiding perfumed lip balms can help prevent chapped lips. People frequently do not realize how much they touch or play with their lips – they lick, nibble, and even tug on their lips without even realizing it.
If the skin on the lips is dehydrated, these behaviors may intensify.
While it may be challenging to refrain from scraping dry, flaky skin off the lips, people risk destroying good skin in the process. This might delay healing and potentially cause bleeding. Individuals can avoid chapped lips by using sunscreen-containing products, avoiding scented or flavored lip products, avoiding lip products containing known exfoliating, allergies, smoking cessation, and staying hydrated.
What Factors Add-Ons To Chapped Lips?
The skin on the lips is not the same as the skin on the rest of the face. Even though the essential components are identical, the skin on the lips is considerably thinner and more sensitive.
Unlike the skin on the rest of the body, the skin on the lips lacks oil glands and hence cannot create moisture.
Change In Weather
In the fall/winter season, humidity levels tend to reduce as the temperature drops. Dry air drains moisture from the skin, which is why chapped lips are typical throughout the colder months of the year.
Avoiding chilly conditions can aid in managing chapped lips and dry skin.
Licking Lips Now And Then
When a person’s lips get dry, they lick them to provide moisture.
While licking may temporarily moisten the lips, this behavior might aggravate the situation. As saliva evaporates, it draws moisture from the lips’ surface.
Lip Products With A Lot Of Chemicals
Ingredients in certain lip balms, lipsticks, and similar items can aggravate dry lips. Among these substances are humectants such as glycerin, menthol, camphor, and phenol.
Humectants are chemicals that keep water from evaporating.
Some common chemicals in lip cosmetics, particularly pigments and perfumes, may cause allergic reactions in some people. For example, using an allergen-containing lip balm might produce chapped, dry, and red lips.
Exposure To Sunlight
Prolonged exposure to sunlight can generate harsh damage to the lips, resulting in dryness and cracking.
Sun exposure can also cause actinic keratoses, a disorder that causes crusty lumps to grow on the lips. These lumps are not life-threatening, but they can develop into cancer. Therefore they should be removed as soon as possible.
Medicines
As a side effect, several drugs, such as antihistamines, chemotherapy drugs, and pills, can produce dehydration.
Topical acne medicines may contain substances that dry out the lips, such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. If these components come into touch with your lips, they can cause chapping.
Conclusion
Chapped lips are a frequent and occasionally irritating problem. Some individuals only see it in the winter, while others notice it all year. When selecting lip cosmetics, use caution. You might require a few lifestyle changes to cure chapped lips and prevent the problem from recurring. People who have chapped lips regularly should see a doctor. Certain drugs and illnesses can cause dry and chapped lips. They may advise you to try a new drug in such a case. People who have tried several solutions for chapped lips without results should consult their healthcare professional to explore potential underlying reasons and treatment choices.
