“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.
Lip balms provide only temporary comfort, and some types can make scaly lips even drier. That's because, in part, when the thin film of moisture from the lip balm evaporates, it dehydrates your lips even more.
Use a moisturizer to keep your lips from drying out further. Products containing beeswax or petroleum work to hold moisture in. Slather on more at night before you go to sleep. Ointments like coconut oil, cocoa butter, petroleum jelly, and even thick body lotions are good options.
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.
If your dryness isn't responding to a change in lip balm and you still have painful dryness after a week, you might want to see a dermatologist. A dermatologist can determine whether you have any allergies or underlying medical conditions that cause dry lips and recommend the best lip balm for your specific skin type.
If you're not allergic, Vaseline isn't likely to cause harm or make your lips drier — it just may not be the best option for hydrating lips and preventing the delicate skin from becoming chapped. Other things to try for dry lips include: Try lip balms that contain: argan oil.
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.
Chapped lips are harmless and could cause temporary irritation until treated. Persistent and severe chapped lips could be a sign of an underlying medical condition.
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.
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.
Does Burt's Bees lip balm dry out lips? From my experience, no, Burt's Bees lip balm does not dry out lips. It's designed to keep the moisture in and prevent moisturise loss. It contains several moisturising ingredients that make skin smoother and several ingredients help to relieve any dryness.
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.
Some say applying lip balm causes the body to stop generating natural moisture around the lips. That's just a myth, Dr. Piliang says. “Lip balms containing ingredients like phenol, menthol and salicylic acid actually make your lips drier.
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).
Dry lips are considered an indicator of the entire body dehydrating, especially if you do not drink enough during the day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Is Aquaphor or Vaseline Better for Lips? On its own, Aquaphor is better because it has additional ingredients that add moisture to your lips. However, Vaseline also offers lip therapy variants with moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter.
Because petroleum jelly is so thick, it creates a thick barrier that can trap things like dirt and bacteria into your skin and lips– that's never a good thing.
Use it as a lip balm
Our mothers used it on our chapped lips while we were growing up and it still works like a charm! Keep your lips winter-safe by applying a coat of Vaseline on them overnight. Keeping it on overnight will seal in the moisture and soften and smoothen your lips.