Most of the human body secretes oily fluids from beneath the skin’s surface to maintain the lubrication and protection of the outer layers. Unfortunately, your lips do not have this constant moisturizing, and as a result, when dehydrated and dried, the mucous membranes around your lips dry and crack. With the appropriate treatment and precaution, you can cure yourself of severely chapped lips.
Protect Your Lips
According to research reported by the Mayo Clinic, various factors contribute to dry lips. The wind can evaporate any moisture from the surface, especially if you are not wearing any lip protection. Sun exposure and very dry conditions can cause unprotected lips to chap and burn. If you know you will be exposed to the elements, protect your lips accordingly. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends using a lip balm made from petroleum or beeswax for adequate treatment and protection.
Avoid Licking Your Lips
The tendency to lick your lips usually comes from the intuition that they are dry. However, saliva actually evaporates quickly in the presence of wind or heat from the sun. Consequently, your lips dry out faster than had they not been licked at all. Furthermore, flavored lip balms and sticks can increase your tendency to lick your lips. Invest in flavorless lip protection to minimize your lip-licking inclination.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
The only moisture your lips naturally receive comes from your mouth. When your mouth dries out, whether from a sport, heat or other condition, your lips will dry out as well and may crack. To prevent this, rehydrate as necessary, particularly if you know your lips are prone to chapping or if you are in cold, windy weather where dehydration may not be as noticeable.
Beware of Cosmetic Allergies
The University of Alabama in Birmingham Medicine website says certain cosmetics may irritate your lips, causing them to chap. If you wear any makeup on or around your mouth, consider stopping for a short period to see if it makes a difference in the rate at which your lips chap. If the chapping ceases, the makeup may have been the cause. Switch to another brand or stop wearing makeup around your mouth.
Other Considerations
Lip chapping may occur as a consequence of smoking cigarettes, which can remove moisture from the lips. Additionally, a deficiency in riboflavin associated with anemia may cause an inflammation of your lips, but this is rare, according to the UAB Medicine.
