How To Stop The Skin On My Lips From Peeling

Chapped Lips

photo of woman's hand touching her lip close up

What Are Chapped Lips?

Chapped lips are when your lips feel dry and cracked. If your lips burn, sting, or feel uncomfortable, they're probably chapped.

You may think of chapped lips as something that only happens in the winter. Only unless y'all take special intendance, your lips can get dry out, sore, and scaly any time of year. This is specially true if you accept a habit of licking or bitter your lips or use products that irritate and dry out your lips.

Symptoms of Chapped Lips

Symptoms of chapped lips include:

Dryness
Cracks, peeling, or flaking
Bleeding
Redness
Burning, stinging or tingling

Causes and Risk Factors of Chapped Lips

Various things can cause chapped lips or make them more probable. These include:

Dry atmospheric condition
Dry air indoors
Lack of oil glands in your lips
Not moisturizing your lips
Wearing irritating lipsticks or balms
Harsh or drying products similar menthol, camphor, or salicylic acid
Too much sun
Excessive licking, touching or picking your lips
Not drinking enough water
Holding metal with your lips

Handling and Prevention of Chapped Lips

Your lips don't accept oil glands, and they're almost ever exposed to the elements. And so if you don't take intendance of them, you'll pay the price. What tin you do to keep them safe?

Apply lip balm. A good lotion can buffer your fragile lip peel from the elements. Choose 1 high in emollients. Bank check the ingredient listing for petrolatum, which locks in moisture, and dimethicone, which seals off cracks and splits in drying lips. Don't limit yourself to products with the word balm in them, either. Lip ointments are just every bit good a choice.
Use early and often. Whatever type of product you lot choose, employ information technology before you put on lipstick or lip gloss, not after. To continue your lips protected, reapply frequently. You need nigh six to eight coats during the day, so apply beginning thing in the morning, terminal affair at nighttime, and every couple of hours during the day. To make this easier, stash a tube in your purse, one in the auto, a tertiary your desk, and some other well-nigh the bed.
Protect your lips when you lot're outside. You encompass your hands and feet when the temperature drops; practise the same for your lips. Wearable a scarf or a ski mask that covers your mouth when you go out in the cold. And remember to choose a lip balm with broad spectrum UV protection twelvemonth-round.
Drink up. You know it has tons of benefits for your body. One of those is to fight the dehydration that leads to chapped lips.
Use a humidifier indoors. These devices provide the moisture your lips and skin crave. It's great to have one at piece of work as well as at home, especially in the wintertime. Turn it on at dark to replenish your skin while you slumber.
Don't lick your lips. While it might seem similar a expert idea at the fourth dimension, running your tongue over your lips is the worst affair you tin do for them. Every bit your saliva dries, it takes more moisture from your peel. Reach for your lip lotion instead.
Don't skin or bite flaky skin. The skin on your lips is thin and fragile. Picking at it can cause it to bleed and hurt, boring the healing process, and cause more irritation.
Don't exfoliate. It tin cause further damage to chapped lips. Instead, apply plenty of balm or ointment and turn on the humidifier.
Listen to your lips. Some treatments can practise more than harm than skillful. Ingredients similar eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor can dry or irritate your lips. Stay abroad from them, especially if you have dry out skin. If you're allergic to constitute-based oils and moisturizers like beeswax, shea butter, brush seed, and soybean oil, switch to a petroleum jelly-based product.
Call the doctor. See a dermatologist if your trouble persists. Chapping that doesn't heal, despite regular utilise of lip balm, can be a sign of infection or a more serious trouble, similar cancer or a precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis.