Chapped lips can be caused by deficiencies in certain nutrients, including iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
Iron deficiency can also cause the appearance of sore, red, flaky cracks at one or both of the sides of your mouth. This feels more extreme than when your lips are chapped due to cold weather.
Vitamin C Deficiency: can lead to swollen, bleeding gums and dry lips. B Vitamins Deficiency: specifically vitamin B-12 (Riboflavin) can cause cracked lips that have difficulty healing.
Health Conditions That Can Cause Chapped Lips
Chapped lips can also be associated with a variety of underlying medical conditions, including thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies, and inflammatory bowel disease, says Zeichner.
One study examined combinations like B9 and B12 or B3, B5, B6, and B10. It showed certain combinations improved healing and sped the production of skin cells. Our lips are often the first casualty of vitamin B deficiencies. If you notice cracking at the corners of the mouth when you smile, it could be from lack of a B.
A precancerous condition that can lead to squamous cell cancer of the lip is actinic cheilitis. Symptoms include: Scaly whitish patches on the lip. Dryness or peeling that won't heal.
Vitamin B-3 Without enough vitamin B-3 or niacin, a person may experience dry, cracked lips or tongue and a red, swollen mouth. A deficiency of this vitamin can also lead to dermatitis. People can get niacin in their diet by eating beef, pork, halibut, tuna, poultry, whole grains, dairy, and green leafy vegetables.
Cold and Flu Symptoms: Cold Sores and Chapped Lips
One of the most frustrating side effects of colds and flu is dry, cracked, irritated lips -- not to mention cold sores. All can occur if you've got even a low-grade fever, or in the case of chapped, cracked lips, from mouth breathing when you have a stuffy nose.
What does it look like? Solar cheilitis predominantly affects the lower lip because it tends to be more prominent. The homogenous pink color of the healthy lip (Figure A) is replaced with non-homogenous white/gray, pink, red, or brown areas and the normally sharp vermillion/skin border becomes less distinct (Figure B).
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is good for your skin, but since lips are thin layers of skin that can't produce their own moisture, lips are specifically susceptible to the perils of dehydration.
When estrogen and progesterone decrease in women experiencing menopause or the time around menopause, they may experience perimenopausal or menopausal dry mouth. This is when the salivary glands may decrease in their production, and a woman's mouth could have a dry, cotton-filled sensation to it.
Some of the main culprits of dry, chapped lips are: Sun exposure causing burns and sensitivity. Excessive lip licking, which dries the skin on and around the lips. Dry, cold weather which can cause cracking and flaking skin.
Saliva, spicy food, the sun and certain products can be irritating to your lips, while some medications and health conditions can cause your lips to be drier than usual. For instance, medications that cause dry mouth can also lead to drier lips.
White or pale lips are often accompanied by general paleness affecting the face, lining of the eyes, inside of the mouth, and the nails. This is usually caused by anemia, which is a low red blood cell count. Anemia that causes pale or white lips is severe and requires immediate medical attention.
Pale lips are one of the common signs of anemia. This is a condition where your body doesn't have enough red blood cells. It may be caused by the following: Your body doesn't make enough red blood cells.
One of the best solutions to chapped lips is using balms or ointments to moisturize and soothe. When it comes to choosing the best products, Stevenson says the most important thing is to avoid fragrances and flavors as they can further irritate the delicate skin.
Vitamin deficiency is the most common cause of cheilitis. The absence of vitamin B2 in the body slows down the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and decreases energy production. Thus, increasing the intake of B2 and eating foods like eggs, milk, and lean meat may help reverse the problem of cheilitis.
Being under stress for a long period of time, with accompanying symptoms such as low mood and tiredness, can result in cracked lips. As well as this, a poor diet which is low in iron and B vitamins may lead to lips becoming dry and sore.
A zinc deficiency can impair skin health and cause chapped lips. Consult with a medical professional to see if a zinc supplement can help with your chapped lips and other skin-related issues. The RDA of zinc is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.
A specialist called an otolaryngologist diagnoses and treats lip and oral cancers. The doctor will take your medical history and perform a physical exam of your head and neck. You may have a biopsy, in which a small tissue sample is taken from the area, to confirm the diagnosis and check for the extent of the cancer.