Chapped Lips: 6 Tips To Treat Them
The lips are muscles covered with layers of mucosa and skin. The upper layer is very thin and therefore very sensitive to external agents.
In addition, the lips are continuously supplied with blood flow. For this reason, in case of injury, this area bleeds particularly and adopts a pink color.
What are cracks around the lips?
Lip cracks are small lesions between the thin folds of the lips and the labial corners. For this reason, they are usually bothersome and painful.
There are usually various causes. Generally they are due to dryness caused by low temperatures.
Likewise, another cause can be the habit of moistening the lips or even biting them.
In addition, they can also appear due to:
- Lack of vitamins and minerals
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Weak immune system
- Neurodermatitis
- Allergies
While the list of triggers for chapped lips is long, in this space we want to share some simple but effective remedies that will help you treat them and avoid pain.
Please note: if the problem occurs frequently, you will need to see your doctor, as there is a possibility that you have angular cheilitis or some lip infection caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses.
Remedies to treat chapped lips
For effective treatment of lip cracks, it is necessary to diagnose the triggering causes of the described picture.
Consequently, it is important:
- Keep the lips and corners of the mouth dry
- Apply moisturizing balms
- Avoid rubbing your lips or opening your mouth too much
- Put aside the habit of wetting your lips with your tongue
Stay hydrated
It is proven that excess moisture is a factor that favors the appearance of cracks. However, keeping your body hydrated is crucial that you avoid chapped lips.
It is advisable to drink 10 to 12 glasses of water a day to achieve this effect.
Follow good nutrition
The deficiency of B complex vitamins and iron may be one of the causes of the appearance of cracked lips.
For this reason, it is advisable to consume foods that contain certain nutrients. Between these:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Milk and derivatives
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Meat
At the same time, it is recommended to consume vitamins A and E. These promote skin care and wound healing (including those on the lips).
Among the foods we should consume, we find:
- Fish
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Dried fruit
- Seeds
Another good solution is to include vitamin supplements in your diet. However, you need to consult your doctor before doing this to avoid side effects.
Apply aloe vera
In many articles we have emphasized the benefits of aloe vera, thanks to its medicinal properties.
- To apply it, you have to rub a little aloe vera gel on the cracked area for a few minutes.
- Then, leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes and rinse the affected area with lukewarm water.
However, if we plan to be exposed to the sun, it is advisable to use some type of cocoa butter with sun protection factor.
Oral hygiene
On many occasions, the wounds are not infectious, but are triggered simply by dehydration.
It is very important to keep the area clean, avoiding putting your hands in your mouth. These measures must be adapted so as not to infect the wounds and to allow them to heal themselves.
On the other hand, one must avoid the bad habit of moistening the lips with the tongue. If you wish to cleanse this area, it is much more hygienic to do so with a wet wipe.
Makeup
Also, it’s important to avoid sharing cosmetics and applying lipstick directly to the lips when we already have an infection.
The lipstick may already be infected, so in that case the problem will only be accentuated.
- If you use a lip pencil, in the evening remove it with a little cotton with cleansing milk or make-up remover and apply a little moisturizing oil before going to sleep.
- Long-lasting or indelible lipsticks dry out the skin further. For this reason, you should try to use them only from time to time.
At the same time, you need to be especially careful when washing and brushing your teeth and tongue.
Balm for chapped lips
Lip balms based on Vaseline, coconut oil, cocoa butter or shea butter or even essential oils are a natural and simple solution to keep lips hydrated.
To apply it, try to do it with one or two clean fingers to pass over the lips. This will avoid contaminating the conditioner.
