Cold, dry weather, sun damage, and frequently licking your lips are just some of the reasons your lips might feel dry and chapped. To prevent and treat dry, chapped lips at home, follow these tips from board-certified dermatologists.
B vitamins
Chapped lips are a common symptom of deficiencies, especially in folate (vitamin B9), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamins B6 and B12 ( 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ).
If the severe dryness and cracking doesn't improve with self-care, you should see a dermatologist. Cheilitis is often to blame for severely chapped lips. This is a condition marked by cracked skin at the mouth corners and several cracks on your lips.
Chapped lips are typically caused by environmental exposures that lead to irritation, including saliva and licking your lips, spicy foods, and cold, dry weather, says Dr. Zeichner. The common cold and sun damage can also cause chapped lips, he adds, as well as medication like cholesterol-lowering agents.
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.
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.
Dry/chapped lips: Dryness in the body due to climate, dehydration, tension, anxiety, fear. Cracked or peeling lips: Heartache, worry, dryness in the body, feeling cold. Discoloration or faded colour in the lips: Lack of proper circulation throughout the body.
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).
Health issues like low stomach acid, poor nutrition, and an unhealthy gut can lead to chapped lips. If you are dehydrated, the body will absorb water from the remaining body to hydrate its cells. This can cause constipation and dry skin and lips.
“Dehydration, weather changes, certain lip balm ingredients (like menthol, camphor, phenol, and salicylic acid), vitamin deficiencies (specifically iron, zinc, and Vitamin B12), sun damage, and lip-licking can all cause dry lips,” explains Jennifer Weiss, a PA at Marmur Medical.
Staying hydrated and drinking enough water throughout the day will help prevent your lips from drying out. You can even drink coconut water as it gives the body the minerals it needs to stay hydrated.
Dehydration – When you're dehydrated, your lips are more prone to dryness. Drink about eight glasses of water per day to stay properly hydrated. Malnutrition – Improper diet and nutrient deficiencies can make skin and lips drier than usual.
These wrinkles may indicate an estrogen deficiency, as well as a testosterone deficiency, both of which accompany menopause. Dry or cracked lips are also frequently associated with menopause.
Lip cancer often looks like a mouth sore that won't heal. In people with light skin, this sore may appear reddish. In people with darker skin, it may appear dark brown or gray. Lip cancer can look different for everyone, so if you notice something strange, you should call your healthcare provider for an appointment.
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.
Bowen's disease is a very early form of skin cancer that's easily treatable. The main sign is a red, scaly patch on the skin. It affects the squamous cells, which are in the outer layer of skin, and is sometimes referred to as squamous cell carcinoma in situ.
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.
Anxiety may be a psychological problem, but it can also affect your physical health. Dry mouth is one way. Like depression and stress, anxiety can cause noticeable dryness of the lips and the mucus membrane that lines the inside of the mouth. Dry mouth can also occur when you're taking certain anti-anxiety drugs.
B Vitamins Deficiency: specifically vitamin B-12 (Riboflavin) can cause cracked lips that have difficulty healing. Angular cheilitis is a severe and very uncomfortable lip condition in which cracks and sores are present in the skin at the corners of the mouth when there is a B vitamin deficiency.
Too Much A
Too much Vitamin A can cause dry lips. Because Vitamin A is present in retinoids from animals and carotenoids from plants, most people get more than enough in their diet. Everything from green leafy vegetables to beef and eggs have Vitamin A. Three thousand mcg is the upper limit for daily Vitamin intake.
Chapped lips is an early sign of low thyroid function. A more severe form of hypothyroidism is called HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE.
Cracked Lips:
It is common to have cracked or dry lips during winters or with a habit of licking the lips frequently. But, people who lack enough iron can suffer from a specific type of cracking called “Angular Cheilitis” that affects the corners of the mouth. This makes it difficult to eat, smile or even talk.
Also known as xerostomia, dry mouth in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is common, but if you're experiencing it nearly every day, you shouldn't ignore it. In addition to your mouth feeling constantly dry, symptoms of xerostomia can also include: dry, rough-feeling tongue. dry, cracked lips.