How to Soothe and Take Care of Chapped Lips

Having soft, moisturized lips doesn't have to be mission impossible in the winter time. In this article, we will tell you how you can take care of your lips to prevent them from drying.

Lips are one of the parts of the body most exposed to external damaging factors. In addition, the skin on our lips is more delicate than that of other areas, and they do not have sebaceous glands, which means that they lack natural lubrication, which often causes them to dry out and crack.

Chapped lips are not only an aesthetic problem, but can also cause discomfort while performing regular daily habits such as eating, drinking, putting on makeup, and even, kissing. 

Preventing chapped lips is always better than treating the problem, however, we all suffer from this issue at some point due to multiple factors, including extreme weather conditions. 

Why do lips become chapped?

In most people, chapped lips appear due to dehydration, mainly in winter.

Cold weather favors dehydration, and that is why lips become chapped and dry more often in winter.

They can also be chapped because of pathology. There are different types of cheilitis (inflammation of the lips), and their causes may vary. The most common lip-chapping factors are:

• Atopic cheilitis: In people who suffer atopic dermatitis, the skin exerts its barrier function in a worse way and therefore tends to dehydrate. Just as they have very dry skin on the body, they can have cheilitis. This type of cheilitis is one of the most frequent.

• Contact cheilitis: In this case, inflammation of the lips is caused by contact with a substance (cosmetic products, medications, food, etc.) that produces an allergic reaction.

• Licking cheilitis: This occurs in people who wet their lips with saliva continuously. It may not be pathological at first but may become a habit as a result of dry lips. Although we tend to think that saliva moisturizes the lips, it is quite a powerful irritant and what it does is aggravate the problem. 

How to treat chapped lips?

The main thing is to detect what causes dry lips and fix it. For example, if the dryness is caused by contact with an irritating substance, stop using it.

The next step is to moisturize the lips with a balm, which can be in stick form or in cream.

Basically what you use are different types of ceramides that aid lip skin reparation. It is advisable to buy it at the pharmacy and check that it is specifically elaborated for the lips with the aim of moisturizing and restoring the altered barrier function.

If your lips burn or you feel any discomfort when applying a product, it means that it is irritating them, and you should not use it.

Simple routine to keep lips moisturized

The basics of good lip care are:

• Always carry moisturizing balm on you and apply it every so often, especially when there is a lot of dehydration. The more, the better - when you see that the lips are dehydrated again, reapply it. You can also apply it before going to bed.

• Avoid wetting the lips with saliva. Licking your lips can be a hard habit to break. When you realize you're licking them or feel the urge to do so, apply lip balm.

• Wearing lipstick is not contraindicated for dry lips, but it may cause you to apply lip balm less frequently. So it's best to avoid it until you solve the problem.

• Don't pull off dead skin, you'll only aggravate the problem. By pulling the skin you can make small wounds that will need time to heal and will take longer as the lip is dry. Also, although it's not common, the lip can get infected.

• Protect yourself from the sun. The skin on the lip is also sensitive to the effects of the sun. So, especially in summer or if you go skiing, it is important to use a balm with photoprotection.

• Stay hydrated on the inside, too. If you drink little water, just as you notice that your skin is drier, you notice it on your lips as well. That is why it is important to stay hydrated and take care of our diet: a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will help you to have hydrated lips.

• If cheilitis is pathological, dermatological treatment with corticosteroids or whatever the dermatologist deems necessary may be necessary. 

Final Word

If you have chapped lips, don't waste more time and start acting right away. Cracked lip skin is not only unpleasant to look at, but can also lead to infections if not treated on time. 

Make sure to hydrate from in and out, always wear lip balm with high SPF, avoid using lipsticks while having chapped lips, and be aware of allergic reactions to certain cosmetic products. 

If nothing helps, try applying CBD oil on your lips during the night, as it will protect, hydrate, and soften your lip skin.