5 Ways to Prevent and Treat Chapped Lips in Winter
The arrival of winter is awaited by many. However, winter brings several skin issues such as chapped lips. Common across all age groups, chapped lips are often considered a trivial problem. However, sometimes dryness can also darken/pigment the lip tissue. Well-rounded lip lightening treatment in Bangalore recommends treating chapped lips to reduce or prevent pigmentation.
What Exactly are Chapped Lips?
Chapped lips are characterised by the dryness of lip tissues. Many people experience mild dryness around the year, however, cold and dry weather can make it worse.
Common Causes Of Chapped Lips
1. Exposure to hot fluids can reduce moisture content in the lip tissues 2. Licking or biting the lips can strip them off of moisture
3. Dehydration can also cause dryness of the lips
4. Chapped lips can also happen because of other medical conditions or health issues.
Tips on How to Prevent or Treat Chapped Lips
Follow these habits to treat and prevent your lips from chapping.
1. Make Changes in Habits
Do you lick your lips when they feel dry? If yes, that’s a problem. Many a time, lip chapping can come from licking them. The saliva on your lips evaporates while taking the moisture along with it.
Licking of lips can be your habit or you may even develop from stress or anxiety. It is ideal to deal with such issues before you start treating chapped lips. Some people can even get dry lips from their habit of licking their lips while speaking. You can avoid such habits through conscious efforts.
Besides, smoking can also leave feeling dehydrated and burnt. The heat results in the loss of moisture and even pigmentation. Experts who perform lip lightening treatment in Bangalore recommend changes in lifestyle to avoid dry, flaky, and pigmented lips.
2. Increase Fluid Intake and Supplements
Dehydration is a key contributor to chapped lips. When the body does not get enough water or fluids, the cells lose their turgidity. This (including other contributors) ultimately dries out the cells. That is when lip tissues do not appear plump and hydrated.
Besides a healthy and nutritious diet, the intake of fluids and supplements increases fluid retention by your body. Health experts often suggest the intake of supplements like Vitamin B9, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, zinc, Omega 3, and others.
Recommended Reading – Pigmentation Around Mouth: Causes, Treatment and Prevention
3. Reconsider Other Cosmetic Products
Do you notice dry lips only after applying or using a certain product? If yes, you know who (what) to blame! Some ingredients can dry out tissues on the lips. It is best to test out the formulation of products like chapsticks, lipsticks (mostly liquid ones), lip gloss, and even moisturisers. They can potentially irritate and dry out lips.
Certain supplements or medications can also be responsible for dehydration in lips (and skin in general). Keep in mind, certain lip products can give you a stinging or a tingling feeling. But, that does not mean they are working.
4. Use a Good Quality Lip Balm
Cold and dry weather can make your lips lose moisture. The best way to keep chapped lips at bay is to apply lip balms. They nourish and lock in moisture from escaping the lips.
Balms with ingredients such as shea butter, mango butter, and cocoa butter, are ideal for keeping lips moisturised for a long time. Petroleum jelly also works wonders for sealing hydration and preventing your lips from drying out.
Lip lightening treatment in Bangalore often recommends including lip balms with SPF which offer sun protection. It is ideal to wear such balms whenever you step outdoors.
5. Treat Gut Lining Inflammation
Did you know that inflammation in your gut can also show symptoms like chapped lips? For instance, low stomach acid, malnutrition, and other gut issues cause chapped lips. It is ideal to treat inflammation by following an anti-inflammatory diet and consuming smaller meals and probiotics among other methods.
Camphor, fragrance, flavouring like peppermint and citrus, methanol, salicylic, and eucalyptus are some of the ingredients that you can avoid.
When to See a Dermatologist?
Generally, treating chapped lips can take from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. However, if you still have scabs or cracks that do not seem to heal, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dermatologist. As mentioned above, chapped, dry and flaky lips can be an indicator of allergic reactions, infections, or other disorders.
Dr. Tina’s Skin Solutionz is a one-stop solution provider for skin, hair, and nail issues. Visit Dr.Tina’s Skin Solutionz to get the ultimate solution for the best lip-lightening treatment in Bangalore.
Dr.Tina Ramachander is one of the best dermatologist in Bangalore and Medical Director at Dr.Tina’s Skin Solutionz, a skin care clinic in Bangalore. She completed her master’s in dermatology from the well acclaimed JJM Medical college in Karnataka and is now a practicising dermatosurgeon and Medical Cosmetologist in Bangalore.