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.
Your chapped lips could be caused by something aside from dry weather. An allergic reaction, yeast infection, or something more serious can make your lips feel dry and uncomfortable. Actinic cheilitis is a precancerous condition that turns one or both lips dry and scaly.
Chapped lips are the result of dry, cracked skin on your lips due to cold or dry weather, sun exposure, frequently licking your lips or dehydration. You can treat chapped lips at home with the use of lip balm or ointment to ease any discomfort.
“Apply occlusive and emollient ointments liberally throughout the day to help prevent and treat chapped lips, especially before bed. We tend to lose the most heat and moisture from our skin overnight,” said Marchbein.
“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.
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.
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).
Chapped lips can sometimes heal on their own, but if that isn't happening after a day or two, try using a lip balm, suggests Zeichner. Lip balms contain a combination of waxes and oils that form a protective seal over the skin, he explains.
So, should you use chapstick or Vaseline? Both! Chapstick moisturizes dry lips, and Vaseline helps in sealing the moisture in and keeping the skin barrier intact. While you can get away with using just chapstick, there is no point in using Vaseline without applying chapstick first.
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.
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.
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.
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 – 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.
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.
When you apply Vaseline to your lips, the petroleum jelly acts as a protective barrier and prevents moisture from escaping. It's not going to add moisture. If you lick your lips before applying Vaseline and nothing else, you might make chapped lips worse because lips don't retain water very well.
Lip balm doesn't contain any addictive substances. Using it excessively doesn't cause the lips and surrounding area to stop producing natural moisture.
And finally, over-use! No matter how good your lip balm is, if you're applying it too often it will end up doing more harm than good. This is because the lips become reliant on the product and lose the ability to moisturise themselves.
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.
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.
Eczema on your lips is also called cheilitis. It might last only for a short time, or it could be a long-term issue. Your doctor will figure out if you have eczema on your lips by looking at them and asking you about your symptoms. If you have allergies, you're more likely to get eczema on your lips.
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.
Cheilitis is an inflammation of the lips. It may be acute or chronic, involving the vermilion and/or surrounding skin of one or both lips.
As a non-glandular mucous membrane, your lips do not have the ability to generate their own moisture. They do not contain the same concentration of oil-producing sebaceous glands as the rest of the body and are therefore less lubricated and more susceptible to dryness and peeling.