Cold, dry weather, sun damage, and frequently licking your lips are just some of the reasons your lips might feel dry and chapped.
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 ).
Common causes include: cold weather, dry air or wind. damage from the sun. dehydration.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You can learn how to get rid of chapped lips in 5 minutes by exfoliating your lips and adding a moisturizer. Use a toothbrush to remove dead skin off your lips. Brush gently to give your lips a smoother texture.
Drinking plenty of water can help keep your skin and lips hydrated. While dehydration isn't the only cause of dry lips, it can be a factor. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day to remember to hydrate.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
Coffee is enriched with the superfood Caffeine that helps reduce pigmentation and even tones the lips. Powered with antioxidants, Coffee grinds expertly exfoliate flaky and chapped lips to leave you with flushed lips.
A good way to prevent or care for dry, chapped lips is to apply a non-irritating lip balm or lip moisturizer several times a day and before bedtime. Try using ChapStick Classic Original lip balm that's designed to soften your lips and keep them from getting chapped.
Severely chapped lips may take longer to heal, but the average time is two to three weeks to recover completely. If you treat chapped lips as soon as you notice a problem, your lips will heal much faster and you can avoid potential complications like infection.
Vaseline is known as an occlusive, which means it can hold in moisture . If you use Vaseline on your lips before they're dry and chapped, you may be able to stave off dryness. However, petroleum jelly isn't all that effective at restoring moisture once it's been lost.