5 Reasons You Have Dry Lips
Though common and almost always harmless, dry lips are both unsightly and uncomfortable. No one wants cracked, chapped lips, but how do you prevent them?
Because lips don’t contain oil glands like the rest of the skin, they’re susceptible to dryness. Luckily, with a bit of self-care, you can prevent chapped lips, maintaining soft, moisturized lips all year long.
Read on to learn what causes dry lips and how to prevent them!
1. Dehydration
The human body is made up of 60% water – it’s the most important ingredient for health. And believe it or not, if you’re thirsty, you’re already severely dehydrated.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the most common culprit behind dry skin and lips is dehydration. So, the easiest way to prevent dry lips is to make hydration a priority. For the best results, aim for a minimum of eight glasses of water per day.
2. Sunburn
Getting too much sun not only causes a myriad of skin problems but can be the cause of your dry lips as well. Just as your skin can become sunburned, your lips can also suffer from too much sun exposure.
Now, getting a little sun each day is important for health, so you shouldn’t avoid it. Instead, always put on lip balm with SPF before leaving the house, even in the colder months.
3. Lip Balm
Speaking of lip balm, the beauty product meant to relieve chapped lips can also cause them! If your chapstick is low-quality, you could be doing more harm than good with your daily applications.
The fragrances, alcohol, and menthol in many lip balms can cause itchy dry lips. Before purchasing chapstick, read the packaging carefully. Look for balms made from all-natural ingredients and those free of the additives listed above.
4. Weather
Certain types of severe weather can have a similar effect on your lips to dehydration, as harsh wind, heat, and cold can dry out your skin and lips. Again, high-quality lip balm with SPF is your best friend when combating the effects of weather on your lips.
Do your best to keep your face shaded from the sun and consider wearing a scarf or neck gaiter in the winter months to protect your lips from cold weather and wind.
5. Vitamin Imbalance
There’s a long list of vitamins and minerals essential to good health, which is why eating plenty of nutrient-dense foods is so important. When your body is in a vitamin imbalance, you can experience unwanted side effects such as dry mouth and lips.
The two vitamins to pay close attention to are vitamins A and B. A vitamin B deficiency can lead to a lack of energy and unhealthy skin. Meanwhile, too much vitamin A can cause dry, peeling skin of the mouth and lips.
Try to get your vitamins from your diet rather than supplements to keep everything in balance.
See a Dermatologist if Dry Lips Are a Concern
More often than not, dry lips aren’t a sign of anything more than dehydration or severe weather. Sometimes, however, chapped lips are a symptom of cheilitis, an infection that causes cracking of not only the lips but the skin at the corners as well.
If you can’t seem to shake your chapped lips or notice cracking of the corners of your mouth, it’s time to set an appointment with a dermatologist.
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