Chapped Lips
Chapped Lips
12 Tips to Stop the Dryness
Chapped lips give new meaning to the expression "crack a smile." When your lips are sore, red, and peeling, even a little grin can crack them wide open. No wonder you feel—and look—like Oscar the Grouch. So put those lips back in the pink with these tips. They'll help bring a smile to your face.
Try the palm or balm solution. "The best way to deal with chapped lips is to avoid the dry, cold weather that can cause them in the first place," says dermatologist Joseph Bark, M.D., of Lexington, Kentucky. "But since heading for the tropics is not too practical for most people, you can head for the drugstore instead."
Before you go out—and several times while you're out—coat your lips with a lip balm. Since lips don't hold anything on them very well, reapply it every time you eat or drink anything or wipe your lips.
Use a sunscreen. "Remember, too, that the sun fries lips—any time of the year," says Dr. Bark. "So you're well advised to choose a product with built-in sunscreen."
Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, concurs. "Sun damage to the lips can cause dryness and scaliness, the same way sun can damage the rest of your skin. In its simplest form it can harm the lower lip, which takes the brunt of ultraviolet rays."
So people should use not just any lip balm but one that contains sunscreen, such as PreSun 15, Chap Stick's Sunblock 15, or Eclipse Lip Protectant.
Wear lipstick. In addition to a sunscreen, "a creamy lipstick would help soothe lips that are already chapped," says Glenn Roberts, Elizabeth Arden's director of creative beauty in New York City. "In fact, just wearing lipstick gives some protection and may help prevent chapping in the first place."
"Because lipstick is opaque, it filters out all light, including harmful visible light," says Dr. Bark. "In addition, I believe use of lipstick is one of the reasons women seldom get lip cancer. In my 14 years of practice, I've treated maybe one or two women for lip cancer, but literally hundreds of men."
Soothe and heal. "The danger with chapped lips is that they can become infected," says dermatologist Diana Bihova, M.D., a clinical instructor at New York University School of Medicine. "To prevent infection, apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin or Polysporin Ointment. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone ointments can also help with chapped lips, but they would not prevent infection. If your lips are severely chapped, you may want to use both. Apply one in the morning and one at night."
Be wise. "Nutritional deficiencies—such as those of B-complex vitamins and iron—can play a part in scaling of the lips. So make sure you're okay on that front with a multivitamin supplement," says Dr. Novick.
Drink up. Moisturize your lips from the inside out by drinking additional fluids in the winter. "I recommend several ounces of water every few hours," says Dr. Bihova. "As you age, the ability of your cells to retain moisture decreases, so your dryness problem may actually increase each winter. Another way to help counter wintertime dry lips is to humidify the air in your home and office."
Mind your own beeswax. "To my mind, the single best product for chapped lips is Carmex. It's an old-fashioned product that comes in a little tin and contains, among other things, beeswax and phenol," offers Rodney Basler, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Nebraska College of medicine. "I'd say no prescription medication is better than that."
You won't get by on a lick and a promise. "Chapped lips are a dehydration problem," according to Dr. Basler. "When you lick them, you momentarily apply moisture, which then evaporates and leaves your lips feeling drier than before. Besides, saliva contains digestive enzymes. Granted they're not very strong, but they don't do your sore lips any good."
"Licking chapped lips can lead to something called lip-licker's dermatitis," cautions Dr. Bark. "It's usually seen in kids but can occur in adults, too." What happens when you lick your lips is that you scrape off any oil that might be on them from surrounding areas. (The lips themselves don't have any oil glands.) Pretty soon, you're licking not just the lips but the area around them. Eventually, you end up with a red ring of dermatitis around the mouth. The moral: Don't start licking in the first place.
If you are tempted to lick your lips, remember what Dr. Basler laughingly calls "the old Nebraska treatment, chicken manure applied to the lips. It doesn't make your lips better, but it sure keeps you from licking them."
Give toothpaste the brush-off. "Allergy and sensitivity to flavoring agents in toothpaste, candy, chewing gum, and mouthwash can cause chapped lips in some people," says dermatologist Thomas Goodman, Jr., M.D., assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences. "My dentist says the new tartar-control toothpastes are even worse at drying lips than the regular ones. So I tell people to stop using toothpaste. Just use a toothbrush alone or a brush with baking soda on it."
Think zinc. "Some people have a tendency to drool in their sleep, which can dry out lips or aggravate ones that are already chapped," says Dr. Novick. "If that's a problem, they can apply zinc oxide ointment every night before bed. It acts as a barrier to protect lips.
Lay a finger alongside your nose. "Here's what I tell farmers, who may be working outside and may not have anything else handy," says Dr. Bark. "Put your finger on the side of your nose. Then rub your finger around your lips. It picks up a little of the oil that's naturally there. It's the kind of oil the lips are looking for anyway, and they usually get it from contact with adjacent skin. You couldn't get any more of a home remedy than that."
The udder alternative. Here's another idea from down on the farm. "There's a product called Bag Balm that farmers use on cows' udders when they're sore. You can use that on your lips, too," says Dr. Bihova. "It's a petroleum-based product and is available in farm supply stores, vet supply stores, and some pharmacies and health food stores." It can also be ordered directly from the Dairy Association Company, Inc., Lyndonville, VT 05851.
PANEL OF ADVISERS
Joseph Bark, M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice in Lexington, Kentucky, and author of Retin-A and other Youth Miracles and Skin Secrets: A Complete Guide to Skin Care for the Entire Family.
Rodney Basler, M.D., is a dermatologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Lincoln.
Diana Bihova, M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice and clinical instructor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center in New York City. She is coauthor of Beauty from the Inside Out.
Thomas Goodman, Jr., M.D., is a dermatologist in private practice and assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences in Memphis. He's author of Smart Face and The Skin Doctor's Skin Doctoring Book.
Nelson Lee Novick, M.D., is clinical associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York in New York City and author of Super Skin and Saving Face.
Glenn Roberts is director of creative beauty at Elizabeth Arden in New York City.
