Stop licking your lips: Many people suffer from a repetitive habit of licking their lips. This repetitive friction and irritation causes a darkening of the lips and even the surrounding skin.
Licking your lips is a detrimental habit that makes your lips and the area around your mouth darker. Saliva contains enzymes that help break down food, and when you repeatedly lick lips, it can irritate the thin, delicate skin, causing it to become darker in colour.
Causes of dark lips
excessive exposure to the sun. lack of hydration. cigarette smoking. allergic reactions to toothpaste, lipstick, etc.
As the saliva quickly evaporates, lips will likely end up drier than before. Occasionally licking the lips may not cause any problems. However, persistent licking throughout the day could dry out the lips and lead to chapping, splitting, flaking, or peeling.
Does licking my lips often make it pink? No. Saliva contains many enzymes. Licking your lips more often would make your lips dry, so try not to lick your lips and apply a good moisturizer instead.
Normal, healthy lip color varies, depending on skin color and other factors, but should fall in the reddish-pink-to-brown range.
Petroleum jelly contains mineral oil, which helps in smoothening out the lips. However, when applied after sun exposure, it may cause lip-darkening.
How to Use? Apply a layer of petroleum Jelly to your lips before going to sleep every day. The jelly will dissolve any un-welcome pigmentation and over a few weeks' time you will notice soft, smooth and naturally pink lips.
Tonya Reiman, author of The Power of Body Language, says that lip licking is a sign of anticipation: "We lick our lips when we see something we desire," she says. "It could mean that they're hungry for you." "When you're attracted to someone, your mouth produces extra saliva," adds Wood.
Try mixing coarse salt or sugar with almond oil or coconut oil and gently massaging the mixture into your lips once a day. You can also use a soft bristle brush or washcloth dipped in oil to exfoliate. Use a moisturizer or lip balm after each treatment. Shop for almond oil and coconut oil.
Lemon, Coconut Oil, and Glycerin
Apply this on your lips and leave over-night. The glycerin will keep your lips moisturized, hydrated while lemon juice will reduce pigmentation and darkness. The coconut oil is a very effective remedy to lighten your dark lips in just a few days.
Despite the perception that pink lips are healthy, there is no evidence that they are healthier than any other lip color. The exception to this is if a person normally has pink lips, and they change color. Healthy lips are typically: free from cracks and sores.
A study of 1,000 people in 35 countries revealed that the perfect lip shape is all down to symmetry. More than 60% of respondents thought a 1:1 ratio between the upper and lower lip was the most attractive shape. A cosmetic surgeon in London said a heavily-defined cupid's bow is the most-requested lip feature.
Lip discoloration can occur as a result of a fungal infection, iron deficiency anemia, sun exposure, or an allergic reaction. Treatments for lip discoloration vary depending on the cause. People who notice new or unusual spots on their lips may want to contact their doctor.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends using white petroleum jelly throughout the day and before bed to moisturize and sooth dry, cracked lips. Petroleum jelly seals in water longer than oils and waxes. It's also inexpensive and easy to find online and in drugstores.
Apply sunblock: Yes, lips can get tanned too!
In fact, the sun can damage the skin on the lips, making them appear darker and rougher. Look for a lip balm with SPF30, and apply it at least 5-6 times a day to make sure it does not wear off.
Lips allow us to chew and swallow with our mouth closed; to hold onto things like nails and clothes pegs, and to suckle at the breast. But even more importantly, our lips are used in communication. They allow us to smile, to bare our teeth and to kiss.
Specific triggers play a significant role like excessive sun exposure, hormonal changes and nutrition. Another skin condition, i.e. acanthosis nigricans can also cause thickening and darkening of the upper lip area. Eczemas and conditions like atopic dermatitis can cause pigmentation in the area above the upper lip.
Simply mix two crushed raspberries, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of aloe vera gel and apply this mask on your lips. Leave this mask for five minutes and then rinse with warm water. Apply little bit of moisturizer afterwards. You can use rose petals in different ways to get back that pink tinge on your lips.