My Lips Get Dry Again After Shortly After Putting on Chapstick

Next to a large zit, there's aught that tin can brand yous experience more self-conscious about your appearance than dry, chapped lips. The bleeding, the peeling, the large, painful cracks. Medically known as cheilitis, chapped lips are characterized past peeling, fissuring and cracking of the lip skin, says Shari Marchbein, Physician, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. While most people are prone to chapped lips in the winter, information technology can happen at any time of year and for a number of reasons.

"Your pare on the lips is much thinner and more sensitive than the peel on your arms and legs considering it'south meant to help your mouth absorb food," says Mary L. Stevenson, Medico, a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs micrographic surgeon at NYU Langone.

Because of this, the pare on the lips is especially susceptible to ecology stresses, similar the wind, cold conditions and lord's day impairment, Stevenson says. "The lips don't contain oil glands, unlike other parts of the body, and and then this predisposes information technology to dryness and chapping," Marchbein adds.

Here is everything you lot need to know about protecting your lips from the elements, and helping them heal when they do become chapped.

What is the cause of chapped lips?

While ecology factors largely contribute to chapped lips, some lifestyle habits and wellness atmospheric condition can also impact the moisture in this delicate area. According to Stevenson, irritation from fragrances and flavors in lip products, yeast overgrowth, having a thyroid disorder, irritable bowel disease or autoimmune disorders, and even taking certain medications can crusade dry, chapped lips. Some food deficiencies accept as well been linked to dry, chapped lips. For case, deficiencies in fe, vitamin B and folic acid accept been associated with angular cheilitis, a common skin status marked by fissures, scaling or crusting in the corners of the mouth.

But one of the biggest — and preventable — causes of chapped lips that many people don't realize is lip licking.

"Lip licking and lip smacking are common behaviors for those with dry out, chapped lips, merely it actually makes the problem worse. When someone is feeling chapped, they may lick their lips or smack them together to moisten them," Marchbein says. "Although this may lead to temporary relief, as the moisture evaporates from their lips, information technology actually causes more dryness and chapping," she explains.

Stevenson also says that dental piece of work and having allergies can affect your lips. "People might have a reaction to an allergen, which can cause irritation and dryness in the lips," she says. "It could exist something in your toothpaste or the prosthetics in your mouth that might be causing the trouble, so people should see their doctor about patch testing."

"Lip dryness and irritation can occur year-round, especially if at that place is a component of eczema or contact dermatitis, meaning your lips are coming in contact with something y'all're allergic to," Marchbein says.

Why it'south important to protect your lips from the sun

Stevenson and Marchbein stress the importance of protecting your lips from the sun daily because sunday harm tin happen at any time, even on a rainy, cloudy twenty-four hour period. "If you're going skiing, there's still white light reflecting from the sun on the snow. Just because you don't recollect the sunday is out, you lot should still be protecting your lips," Stevenson says.

In the summertime, you lot can go dry, chapped lips from extended exposure to UV rays, which can also put you at risk for actinic keratosis, a precancer that forms on the face, lips, ears and scalp. Unlike melanoma which is usually characterized by unusual moles, lumps and markings, actinic keratosis appears every bit small, dry out, scaly or crusty patches of peel, co-ordinate to the Skin Cancer Foundation. These patches of skin tin can be red, light, dark tan, white, pink or flesh-toned and tin can be flat or raised. Actinic keratosis that forms in the lips is known every bit actinic cheilitis.

"The lips are not an uncommon, just frequently disregarded site, of precancerous lesions and pare cancers and can be particularly aggressive in this location," Marchbein says. "Because the lesser lip typically protrudes past the top, information technology is prone to dominicus harm. Be sure to clothing SPF lip balms in the summer to protect from sun impairment and pare cancers," Marchbein explains.

To help protect your lips, Stevenson recommends wearing a lip balm with a minimum of SPF 30 every mean solar day before applying makeup. If y'all don't have a lip balm with SPF thirty, Stevenson says you tin can smear some of your confront sunscreen on your lips.

How to heal chapped lips

The best way to treat dry, chapped lips is using a gentle lip scrub and a lip balm that seals in wet. For case, saccharide is a keen exfoliator considering it's a natural humectant, meaning information technology draws in water from the deeper layers of the skin. "You want to be extremely gentle with exfoliation and not scrub your lips raw," Stevenson says. "Use a scrub with sugar or a warm washcloth. Just don't scrub information technology so hard that it can crusade redness," she says.

"I exfoliate my lips gently a few times a week with a natural gentle carbohydrate scrub, such every bit St. Ives Juicy Watermelon Lip Scrub considering watermelon is known for hydration. Then, I follow it upwardly with a healing ointment to assistance maintain and seal in hydration," Marchbein says.

Marchbein and Stevenson also say that you can utilize a humidifier in your bedroom at night to aid moisten the air. "Staying hydrated by drinking enough of water can also exist helpful," Marchbein says.

Lastly, y'all want to avoid picking off flaky, dry skin. "This tin can atomic number 82 to more than inflammation, bleeding, rawness and irritation," Marchbein says. She also recommends belongings off wearing lip glosses, lipsticks and stains and lip plumpers until your lips have completely healed. Using these products can contribute to more irritation and dryness in this delicate area.

If yous don't meet whatever improvements with your lips afterwards following these approaches, schedule an engagement with a lath-certified dermatologist to dominion out the causes of chapping.

Treatment for chapped lips: What to wait for in lip balms and ointments

When it comes to choosing the best lip balms for chapped lips, Stevenson says the most important thing is to avoid products with fragrances and flavors because they can irritate the skin even more. In addition to fragrances and flavors, you desire to ditch menthol, salicylic acid and camphor in lip balms, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Ingredients that lock in moisture

"Wait for lip balms with white petrolatum, lanolin, shea butter, beeswax and ceramides considering they all lock in moisture," Stevenson says. Marchbein besides likes lip ointments with glycerin because they're hydrating. Some people avoid petrolatum because it's a byproduct of petroleum oil. Unrefined petrolatum contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are carcinogens, Stevenson says. But using white petrolatum, or USP petrolatum, conforms to the standards set by the United states Pharmacopeia and is safe to use.

The AAD notes that dimethicone, hemp seed oil, castor seed oil and mineral oil are other great ingredients for healing chapped lips. "Apply occlusive and emollient ointments liberally throughout the day to help prevent and treat chapped lips, specially earlier bed. We tend to lose the about heat and wet from our skin overnight," Marchbein says. (FYI: occlusives concenter moisture to the peel and create a protective barrier, and emollients piece of work to smooth out and fill in the dry cracks in chapped peel.) For natural hydrating ingredients that you might already have in your pantry, Stevenson likes honey, seed oils and coconut oil.

Choose ointments over balms and chapsticks

Marchbein recommends using lip ointments over lip balms and chapsticks because they're complimentary of preservatives and are more constructive retaining moisture. While chapsticks can temporarily soothe dry lips, they tend to take chemicals and flavors that tin can farther irritate the skin, and in severe cases, trigger eczema and allergic contact dermatitis, Marchbein says.

"They [chapsticks] tin can also lead to a vicious bike of constantly needing to use them and swiping them on the lips, oftentimes followed past lip smacking, which perpetuates the cycle of chapping," Marchbein explains. "Lip ointments should exist reapplied frequently throughout the day so that the lips never feel dry," she says.

Protect with SPF

For lip balms with SPF, Stevenson prefers products with physical blockers, like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. "There's no harm in using sunscreens with chemic blockers, just concrete blockers protect yous from the lord's day by sitting on top of your skin whereas chemical blockers blot the sunday's rays," Stevenson says.

The all-time lip balms and ointments for chapped lips

To help y'all take the guesswork out of shopping for lip ointments and balms, hither are some of Steveson and Marbein'due south tiptop picks for soothing and preventing dry lips.

ane. Aquaphor Healing Ointment

Stevenson and Marchbein recommend Aquaphor for its healing ingredients, which include petrolatum, mineral oil, lanolin and glycerin. In addition to restoring moisture to cracked lips, this multi-purpose ointment can assistance alleviate dry hands and feet and treat modest cuts and burns.

2. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

1 of Marchbein'south become-to products, Vaseline'south petroleum jelly is fabricated with one cardinal ingredient: 100 percent USP white petrolatum. For those who are allergic to lanolin, this petrolatum-based ointment hydrates a dry frown and has nil flavors, fragrances and additives that may irritate sensitive peel.

iii. Maya Chia Supercritical Chia Waterless Wonder Balm

Stevenson never leaves home without her Maya Chia waterless wonder balm, which she applies to her face and lips day and night. Moisture-boosting beeswax, chia seed oil and shea butter go deep into the cracked crevices of your lips to restore a salubrious, youthful shine. Unlike other lip balms that apply synthetic fragrances, this orange blossom balm relies on essential oils and botanical extracts for its zesty scent.

iv. Cerave Healing Ointment

Formulated with petrolatum, hyaluronic acid and ceramides, this hydrating ointment breathes new life into dry, cracked lips by reviving and strengthening the peel'south natural bulwark. It'south no wonder Marchbein say it's one of her top recommendations. Free of lanolin, fragrances, preservatives and dyes, this is some other smashing choice for those with sensitive skin.

5. Fresh Tinted Lip Handling, SPF 15

For a soothing lip treatment that likewise provides some color, go for this tinted lip balm, which comes in 13 shades and two different finishes — satin and shimmer. "These tinted lip balms double every bit lipstick and are perfect for protecting the delicate skin on the lips while exterior," Marchbein says. Sugar, grapeseed oil and meadowfoam and black currant seed oils are the star ingredients that work together to forbid moisture loss while softening crude skin. While this lip lotion is a little lower in SPF than what'south recommended, it still provides some protection.

half dozen. Colorscience Sunforgettable Lip Smooth, SPF 35

Shield radiant lips from the sun with this h2o-resistant lip gloss that supplies vitamin Eastward, hyaluronic acid and dimethicones. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide deed every bit physical barriers against the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays. Choose from four vibrant shades, including clear, which you tin can layer over your favorite lipstick or lip tint.

7. EltaMD UV Lip Lotion Broad-Spectrum, SPF 31

This colorless lip balm makes it a neutral option for both men and women. "Lip balms need to be reapplied every two hours or sooner if the lips become wet. We often remember to apply sunscreen to our faces and body when outside but forget nearly the importance of protecting our lips from lord's day damage with an SPF lip balm," Marchbein says. Fabricated with olive oil, beeswax, castor oil and vitamins C and E, this lip balm volition calm irritation and leave your lips feeling silky smooth.

8. Md Rogers Restore Healing Lotion

Stevenson likes this fragrance-free lip balm for its plant-based ingredients, especially if you're concerned about petrolatum and lanolin. Glycerin, castor seed oil and castor wax hydrate lips and replenish the skin'due south natural barrier. In add-on to relieving dry lips, it can be used to help heal burns and scrapes and hold eyebrows in place.

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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/select/lifestyle/best-chapped-lips-treatments-balms-ncna1138176