Chapped Lips

Chapped Lips






Lips are the most delicate and soft organ in our body and they have very soft surface layers of skin. They are more prone to attack from extreme climates like hot and cold than any other part.

Lips are exposed to hot rays of the sun as well as cold wind and dry air and hence subject to dehydration. If they lose moisture from their cells, lips become fragile and develop tiny cracks and splits. These tiny cracks are called chapped lips and are often painful. It is not good to lick your lips often, since it burns the saliva, dehydrating it further.

Causes :

Exposure to sunlight, cold weather and dry air are the main cause for the formation of chapped lips. When the lips become dehydrated, it may develop cracks. Sometimes, vitamin deficiency may cause this problem. Taking prolonged medications like retiniods can affect your lips. High doses of lithium and Vitamin A may also cause some problem. High fever and oral infection can also attack the lips making it chapped. Heightened stress may activate the dormant virus (Herpes Simplex) to cause Cold Sores and chapped lips. Rarely, Yeast Infection in the mouth can cause chapped lips.

Symptoms :

The lips may develop tiny cracks or blisters in and around. It may become dry and reddish. Sometimes, the skin may start peeling away causing irritation and pain. In severe infection, it may bleed.

Treatment :

Self Care at Home :

You can apply sunscreen lotion while going out in sunny weather and cold weather. Use indoor humidifier when the weather is dry or cold to soften your lips. Drink plenty of fluids. Lip balms like Carmex can very well be used for treating cracks. Any moisturizing lotion like Vaseline is enough to prevent sores and cracks. Apply lip balms containing AloeVera or Vitamin E to make it soft. Do not use flavored balms which will tempt you to lick your lips often, leading to dehydration.

Pictures of Chapped Lips :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Chapped Lips

Medical :

You can consult your doctor and stop using medications that trigger chapped lips. Check the ingredients labeled in toothpaste, since this may cause chapped lips. Some drugs like prochloroperazine may give rise to sores in lips. Sometimes, chapped lips are indicative of skin disorder like psoriasis or lupus.

Cheilitis is a condition in which there is painful inflammation on the lips which is more common in diabetic patients and autoimmune disorder patients. Actinic Cheilitis also known as “farmer’s lip” causes chapped lips when the skin is exposed to severe sun damage. It can be precancerous condition and hence you need to check with your doctor if lips do not heal by self care remedies.

Chapped Lips – Symptoms, Causes, Cure, Treatment, Home Remedy, Pictures

Chapped Lips – Symptoms, Causes, Cure, Treatment, Home Remedy, Pictures

What are Chapped Lips?

Chapped lips are triggered by the reduced moistness in the skin on as well as round the lips. In the majority of individuals, lips that are chapped are due to the elements or the environment. But other factors for instance repeated licking of the lips or some sort of hypersensitive reaction may also be causes. This is a fairly common complaint and may be readily cured.

Chapped Lips Symptoms

Skin covering the lips is extremely thin as well as having no shielding hair or sweat glands. Because of this, the lips lose moistness more quickly than any extra area or part of the body.

The symptoms of chapped lips consist of:

• Often look dry, red and feel painful


• Lips are tender


• Lips become reddish and rough


• Bleeding


• Loss of moisture from the lips


• Peeling and cracking


• Lips are sensitive

Chapped Lips Causes

Common causes of chapped lips include the following:

• Most cases because of the elements


• Dehydration


• Use of soaps and other chemicals frequently


• Sun exposure


• Medications for instance drugs to treat acne


• Contact dermatitis due to allergens or irritants in cosmetics or other products for skin-care


• Vitamin deficiency especially A,C, and B


• Smoking


• Riboflavin or vitamin B-2 deficiencies


• Dentures that are ill-fitting

Chapped lips normally happen during the months of the winter when the temperature of the air is low as is the humidity. Moisture in the lips due to constant exposure to the elements dries up. They create fissures

Chapped lips have numerous other causes and can happen in any season. It is a fairly common state and easily treated. These lips can become chapped by being overexposed to sun, dry condition, or wind in any season but winter is normally the most troublesome. Very dry, chapped lips can be painful and when severely chapped crack and look scaly. Chapped lips can often be an embarrassment.
Cracks at the very corner of the mouth can reflect a condition referred to as angular chelitis, which is a fungal infection which is associated with having inadequate amounts of Vitamin B, zinc, iron or excessive Vitamin A.

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But, in an older mouth with few teeth, cracks at the mouth may occur due to overcompensation. Also, skin care products can irritate the area of the lips.

Chapped Lips Treatment

A list of methods for the treatment of chapped lips consists of:

• Use of sunscreen on the lips whenever outside in weather that is sunny


• Apply lip balm with sunscreen whenever outside


• Drink lots of water every day


• Avoid licking the lips as saliva evaporates quickly, leaving the lips drier than before you licked them


• Use of a humidifier to moisturize the home air can help to prevent dry lips as well as skin


• Use an oil-based lubricating cream for instance lip balm that contains beeswax or petrolatum


• Choose lip cream or balm containing sunscreen.


• Wear jackets or scarves that block the wind to the lips


• Treat chapped lips with Vaseline

Regular and frequent application of any lip balm can relieve chapped lips without further incident. Since lips do not contain oil glands so it becomes all the more necessary to keep them moist. Other methods to stop chapped lips include increased humidity in the home.

Cracked, dry or sore lips may restrict many daily activities such as kissing, eating, talking and smiling.

Chapped Lips Cure

Here is a way to cure those cracked and sore lips:

Get a very small bowl and put warm water in it. Dip a clean washrag in the warm water and then hold that washrag to your lips. Keep the cloth there until the cloth cools. Then do it again, at least 3 times depending on how dry and rough the lips are.

When the skin on the lips becomes soft to the touch go to the next step. Dip the cloth in the warm water again but this time wring out any excess water. Rub this damp cloth across the lips in a back and forth motion. The goal is to rub all of the dead, dried skin off of the lips. Soon you will feel that smooth feeling of the lips again.

The next step apply a cool wet cloth to the lip for a few seconds to make them soft and moist – then pat dry with finger tips.

Next apply a very thin coat of Vaseline to the lips. Let this Vaseline soak in and lock in the moisture for about 20 minutes, then apply a really thick coat of your favorite moisturizing lip balm.

Carry your lip balm with you so that it can be applied every time you get the urge to lick or bite the lips. They should be super soft after just one treatment.

Chapped Lips Home Remedies

Some home remedies for chapped lips consist of:

• Drink a lot of water habitually in order to keep the lips hydrated and moist


• Apply petroleum jelly or lip balm every night before going to bed to moist the lips and make it look smooth


• There are some lip balms with sun screen, pain killing, moisturizing properties. Use to treat lip cracks.


• Apply light coating of moisturizer based lipsticks so your lips breathe


• Use Chap Stick to wet the lips and then avoid licking frequently with tongue


• Herbal lips guards heal the cracks


• Apply ghee or butter to rectify the cracks and dryness


• Remove dead skin by applying fresh milk cream every night


• Soak rose petals in raw fresh milk for several hours. Make into a paste and apply to your lips to heal cracks


• Cure dry lips by massaging slice of cucumber on the lips


• Apply neem juice from fresh neem leaves to heal chapped lips


• Aloe vera gel can heal dryness


• Increase consumption of vitamin A foods such as legumes, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast as well as whole grains.


• Add honey drops to a teaspoon of glycerine and apply the paste on lip before going to bed. Leave on overnight.


• Apply castor oil to remove dryness


• Take 1 teaspoon of glycerine and crush some rose petals to retain moisture


• Avoid smoking to remove the dark color, cracks and sores


• Put vitamin B supplements to cure the cracks


• Apply olive oil instead of Vaseline – good moisturizing agent


• Table salt can be applied to the lips to peel the outer dry skin. Then apply some olive oil to moisten the lips


• Mix 1 teaspoon each of sugar, Vaseline, olive oil and butter and then apply to the lips

Chapped Lips Pictures

Dry chapped lips