Chapped Lips

Chapped lips often look dry, red and feel painful. Lips can also crack, split and bleed. The pain is often continuous, but it can intensify when lips come in contact with moisture or some foods.

Chapped lips often occurs in the winter months when cold weather, dry air and wind take their toll. Here you will get to know the causes of chapped lips plus how to cure chapped lips.

Causes of chapped lips

Chapped lips develop when the skin of lips loss the capacity of moisture retention. The chapped may reduce the capacity of moisture retention and give results too dry, chronic and severe pain. The following are the causes of chapped lips:

    *  Wetting the lips with no protection
    * Allergy from dyes of lipstick
    * Natural oils in the affected skin and often lessen by excessive exposure to cold, dry air, wind and sun.
    * Deficiency of vitamins B or essential fatty acids, dehydration and poor diet.

Symptoms of chapped lips

    * Loss of moisture from the lips
    * Bleeding
    * Mild pain
    * Dryness
    * Lips become rough and reddish
    * Sensitivity of lips

Here are three steps to help you get rid of chapped lips:

Apply lip balm or petroleum jelly. You can also try coating your lips with skin moisturizer, vitamin E oil or aloe vera gel. These greasy products help keep your lips properly moisturized.
Avoid licking your lips, since the saliva will evaporate and leave them dry.
Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
Use a lip balm two times a day one time in the morning and other before going to bed at night to get smooth lips.
Choose a lip cream or balm that contains sunscreen. Sun exposure contributes to chapped lips.
Before going to outside, always apply coat of lip balm that includes sun block.

Prevention tips of chapped lips

    * Avoid more exposure to sun rays
    * Keep the air in home humid
    * Do not go out in cold and dry weather before applying lipstick or lip balm
    * Before going in sunny weather, use a sunscreen lotion or cream with SPF on lips.
    * One can treat chapped lips with phenol and beeswax
    * Dab one a small quantity of petroleum jelly or lip balm before using lipstick to give lips moisture

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