wearing lip balm is something that everyone should get on board with. no matter your gender, the fact is that lips are exposed to the elements every minute of every day. and between the intense cold, dry air, and hot sun – that’s a lot to endure! providing hydration is a must in order to maintain youthful, wrinkle-free lips. if you’ve been ignoring the advice from others and neglecting your lips, here are a few good reasons for why you should reconsider that advice
our lips really do have to put up with so much throughout our lives. they don’t get a break from exposure. so it’s important to help them out every so often by keeping them hydrated and moist with lip balm. lips can easily become intensely chapped and can even crack and bleed if you ignore or avoid applying any hydration to them.
what are chapped lips?
chapped lips are dry, cracked and peeling lips, which may cause irritated skin that is itchy and red. your lips are more prone to drying out than any other part of your body. this is because of two reasons.
● the skin protecting our lips is much thinner than anywhere else.
● lips do not have pores, meaning no sweat or oil glands are available to keep them hydrated.
what causes chapped lips?
everyone can get chapped lips, especially those who generally experience dry skin. here are the main reasons why you may have chapped lips.
major factors that affect lips
● weather
the damage or dryness on your lips may be a result of the weather e.g. uv-radiation from the sun or coldness during winter. indulging in an exfoliating treatment once or twice a week will help cleanse your lips so they are left looking healthier than ever.
● dehydration
dry lips are a sign that your hydration levels are low. dehydration upsets the natural balance of minerals in your body and wreaks havoc on your skin. stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and eating fresh fruit and veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchinis, beans and watermelons.
nivea’s hydro care lip balm with pure water & aloe vera also helps to restore dehydrated lips and prevent further moisture loss.
● lip licking
licking your lips will only make your dry lips even dryer. when your saliva evaporates from your lips, it causes your lips’ natural moisture to evaporate too. remember too, that saliva is a key component of your digestive system. it's packed with enzymes for breaking down foods. an overabundance of saliva can also cause the skin on your lips to crack.
● infection
when your lips are dry, a fungal or bacterial infection can sneak into the moist corners of your mouth and aggravate your situation
● allergies
certain ingredients in your toothpaste or lipstick could be giving you chapped lips. some foods and food ingredients (like food colouring) could be causing your chapped lips as well.
● vitamin deficiency
your lips could be drying out if you aren’t getting enough of the moisturising vitamins b2 (riboflavin), b1 and b6. put some vitamins back in your lips with nivea's lip care blackberry shine, enriched with vitamins c & e for intensive moisturisation.
chapped lips are common and usually harmless, but it’s important to protect and hydrate them.
chapped lips are typically caused by saliva, licking lips, spicy foods, and cold, dry weather. however, they can also be associated with certain health conditions.thinkstock
when winter comes around, many of us experience chapped lips, which are irritated, dry, and peeling lips caused by disruption of the outer skin layer and inflammation, says joshua zeichner, md, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the
dermatology department at mount sinai hospital in new york city. they are flaky and sometimes red or bloody, and they can be uncomfortable or painful. chapped lips, also known as cheilitis, are very common, and they're most often caused by cold, dry, windy weather. while chapped lips are usually harmless, it’s important to protect and hydrate them with the right treatment.
common causes of chapped 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.
allergic or irritant contact is another common cause of chapped lips, where exposure to an external product causes a true allergic reaction or a direct irritation to the skin, says zeichner. but most of the time, chapped lips are caused by dryness, and wind is a prime culprit, explains dermatologist clay j. cockerell, md, founder and medical director of cockerell dermatopathology in dallas.
chapped lips can also be associated with a variety of underlying medical conditions, including thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies, and inflammatory bowel disease, says zeichner. low thyroid function may cause dryness of the mouth and lips, and b complex vitamin deficiencies or low zinc or iron levels have been reported to cause chapped lips, he adds. crohn’s disease can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from the lips down to the anus, and if you have severe cracked lips that are not healing as well as belly pain, this may be a rare cause.
angular cheilitis, or inflammation in the corners of the mouth, is another common condition that can cause dry or chapped lips. it’s typically caused by cold weather, yeast overgrowth, and/or irritation from saliva, and it’s usually treated with anti-yeast medication, anti-inflammatories, or skin protectants overnight, says rebecca baxt, md, a dermatologist in paramus, new jersey.
prevention :
● avoid licking your lip: people sometimes lick their lips to reduce the feeling of dry lips, but saliva actually worsens the situation.
● pay attention to your lips: if they start to feel dry or itchy, apply a lip balm early.
● skip spicy foods. if you have sensitive skin, try to avoid spicy foods, which can irritate the lips.
it seems there’s no season that’s good for avoiding chapped lips. in the summer, they’re sun burned. in the winter, they’re wind-chilled and dry, and throughout fall and spring… well, let’s be real, we’re probably dehydrated.
stocking up on lip balm seems like the easiest route to go when battling dry, cracked lips, but’s it’s not the only—or even most effective—remedy. try one or all of these brilliant chapped lip cures instead.
●
before you wash your face, apply a balm to your lips. your cleanser may actually be drying out your lips—both
salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide disrupt your ph balance and can cause chapping.
● use almond oil. the hypoallergenic moisturizer pops up in kiehl’s lip blam #1, which also contains free radical-fighters vitamins a and e.
●
turn on a
humidifier at night—it helps keeps your lips (and skin) moisturized.
● for chapped and sore lips, slice up a cucumber into thin pieces and leave them over lips for five minutes (try it while you’re watching tv). it helps rehydrates your lips and feels fantastic.
●
exfoliate,
exfoliate,
exfoliate. use a lip exfoliator like ilia balmy nights lip exfoliator, or make an at-home paste with sugar and honey. for very sensitive lips, use a clean, soft toothbrush and brush back and forth.
● don’t lick your lips. we lick our dry lips to add some moisture, but it actually dries them out even more. your saliva contains acids that break down food, but they also irritate your lips. plus, continuously licking will remove any natural oils you have on your lips.
● breathe through your nose. something as little as breathing through your mouth can actually dry out your lips.
●
got flaky lips? resist the urge to pick at them. instead, soften them with lip balm and
exfoliate the flakes off.