Why do lips get so dry? (English)

90% of people have encountered a situation where their lips dry out and peel at least once in their lives. This condition is very unpleasant. Many people think that it is easily eliminated with moisturizing lipsticks, but this is not so. There are many reasons why lips dry out. Sometimes it is enough to increase the amount of fluid you drink, sometimes it is a symptom of a serious disease that needs to be treated by specialists for a long time.

A little about the structure of lips

Purely functional, these are musculocutaneous folds that cover the entrance to the oral cavity, help to capture food, and also participate in the articulation of speech. But from time immemorial, lips have also performed an aesthetic function, especially for women. Their beauty is sung by poets and captured by artists. They convey a person's emotions to a greater extent than all other parts of the face.

Therefore, when lips dry and crack, it is not only unpleasant, but also not aesthetically pleasing, it is the cause of psychological discomfort.

The lips are covered on the outside with skin, on the side of the oral cavity – with mucous membrane. And the place where the skin transitions into the mucous membrane has a special structure. This is the red border, which we actually call lips. It is covered with a thin non-keratinizing epithelium, through which blood vessels are visible, which causes the red color of this part of the face.

Thus, the lips are deprived of a full-fledged horny epithelium, which would protect them from adverse factors. Sebaceous glands, which provide natural moisture to the skin, are found only in the corners of the mouth. There is no melanin in the skin of the lips, which protects against ultraviolet radiation and photoaging.

Due to the lack of protective factors, this part of the body is so sensitive to various changes both in the environment and within the body.

This is why the condition of dry lips occurs so often. The reasons for this can be divided into groups:

Adverse environmental factors.
Lack of fluid in the body.
Imbalance of some vitamins and microelements.
Infections.
Allergy.
General diseases.

Meteorological reasons

Cold, heat, wind, low humidity, prolonged solar radiation are common causes of meteorological cheilitis (inflammation of the red border of the lips). Lips become very dry in people who are forced to work outdoors for long periods of time, especially in unfavorable weather conditions. We often use the expression “chapped lips.”

Prevention and treatment of this condition consists of protection from harmful factors, the use of fatty creams or sunscreens.

There is a special form - actinic cheilitis, which occurs in people who spend a long time in the sun. With this form, only the lower lip often dries out; the condition is seasonal (spring-summer) and is combined with other photodermatoses.

Lack of fluid

Dry lips may be the first sign of a lack of water in the body. We drink little and don't even notice it. For the normal functioning of our cells, we need to drink at least 2 liters of clean water per day. This need increases in hot weather.

Lips react to the lack of moisture not only within us, but also in the surrounding air. This is observed during the heating season in our apartments. Therefore, the air in your home needs to be humidified. There are special devices for this. Containers of water placed in the room for natural evaporation are also quite effective.

Difficulty in nasal breathing

Normal breathing for a person is breathing through the nose. If for some reason we begin to breathe only through our mouths, the evaporation of moisture from the mucous membranes of the mouth and lips occurs faster. If it is short-term (a runny nose with a normal ARVI), then there is no need to worry too much.

But there are situations when nasal breathing is difficult for a long time (polyps, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, deviated nasal septum). In addition to all the other unpleasant consequences of this, the person complains that his mouth and lips are dry. The skin on the lips may crack and the wounds may become infected.

Habit of licking and biting lips

Many people think that licking them more often will keep them moisturized. However, in reality, evaporation of saliva causes even greater dryness. In addition, our saliva contains enzymes that can also harm delicate skin.

If a woman's lips become dry, the cause may be exfoliative cheilitis. This is a chronic inflammation of the red border of the lips in women who like to bite them. It is often observed in people with unstable psyches and neuroses.

In this case, not the entire surface of the red border is affected, but only a narrow band from one corner of the mouth to the other. The lips burn and dry, and scales resembling mica form on them.

External influences

The cause of dry lips can also be an allergy to substances that come into direct contact with them. Moreover, the direct connection “contact - allergy” cannot always be discerned. It’s clear that when a woman’s lips swell and itch after applying a new lipstick, she herself will guess about the allergy.

But it happens that the lips dry, hurt, peel without a pronounced inflammatory reaction, and the cause may be chemicals contained in toothpaste and dentures. Many people have the habit of chewing pens, pencils, and putting various other objects in their mouths. Occupational contact cheilitis occurs: for example, in brass band musicians.

If your child's lips are dry and cracked, you should think about an allergy to latex pacifiers or toys that children constantly put in their mouths.

Lack of vitamins and microelements

Lack of vitamins C and B (B12, B2) is characterized by burning and dryness of the mucous membrane of the mouth, tongue, and lips. Small scales and cracks form on the red border, and they often bleed.

With pellagra (lack of nicotinic acid), the red border becomes shiny, covered with cracks and erosions.

With a lack of iron, the corners of the lips often dry out and seals form. This symptom is combined with general pallor, weakness, and hair loss.

Side effects of drugs

Some medications can cause dry and flaky lips. The most well-known medications with this side effect are Accutane, propranolol, and prochlorperazine.

Many people ask: if your lips dry out, what vitamin should you take? So, increased dryness can be caused not only by a deficiency, but also by an excess of vitamins. This is how, for example, excessive consumption of vitamin A manifests itself. Various forms of this vitamin (retinoids) are used by cosmetologists, dermatologists, gynecologists, and reproductive specialists. The daily dose for various types of treatment should not exceed 25,000 IU.

General diseases

Many patients diagnosed with chronic diseases also complain that their lips are constantly dry. This condition can occur with diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, Sjögren's syndrome, ichthyosis, kidney and liver dysfunction, and dysbacteriosis.

What to do

As you can see, there are many reasons for dry lips. It’s no secret that few people immediately go to the doctor with this problem; we try to deal with it on our own.

The most important thing to do is to analyze the possible reasons, which are often quite obvious.

This is primarily the use of protective moisturizing balms and creams if you are forced to be outdoors in hot, cold or windy weather.
Protect your lips from ultraviolet radiation using special cosmetics with SPF filters.
Indoor air humidification.
Drink enough fluids. Many people miss this point because they think that if we drink only when we want, then this is our need.
Visit a psychotherapist if you cannot get rid of the habit of biting your lips.
Restore normal nasal breathing. This advice is more difficult to follow, especially for people who have had nasal problems for years. Sometimes this requires surgical interventions. You need to decide on this. Normal breathing through the nose will eliminate not only dry lips, but also other serious problems.
Taking multivitamin preparations will not hurt.
Use the right lip moisturizers. They should contain petroleum jelly, dimethicone, shea butter or hyaluronic acid. If the peeling of the lips persists, it is worth using balms with keratids. Various flavors in balms and lipsticks can only aggravate the situation.
If we have taken all measures, but the problem remains, we need to go to the doctor. Perhaps this is chronic cheilitis, which needs to be treated with more serious medications. You can contact cosmetologists, dermatologists, dentists. You may also need to visit a therapist to schedule a comprehensive examination.

Chapped lips, dry and painful, abundantly covered with small wounds, from which blood leaks from time to time - many have probably encountered this unpleasant problem. It causes not only aesthetic discomfort, but also physical discomfort, because it is accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Dry skin indicates either improper care or pathological processes occurring in the body. If you pay attention to this symptom in time, you can not only restore beauty and health to your lips, but also prevent the development of dangerous diseases.

The skin of the lips is very delicate and sensitive, subtly reacts to weather conditions, mechanical damage, lack of moisture and beneficial elements in the body. For various reasons, dryness, peeling, cracks and wounds may appear. If you do not pay attention to these signs in time, there is a risk of developing an infection due to the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, lips can crack and dry out due to various systemic pathologies.

Causes of dry lips

The skin of the lips can dry out when the weather outside changes, it becomes too hot, windy, frosty. The culprit of dryness is sometimes a low level of air humidity in the room. In some cases, the problem is associated with dysfunction of internal organs. It is very important to establish why lips dry and crack in order to eliminate the cause in time, improve the condition of delicate skin, and prevent the development of dangerous consequences.

Diseases of the lips in medicine are called cheilitis. Dryness is just one symptom. Peeling, redness, a red, painful edge, damage to the integrity of the skin may also occur, which is accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition, weakness, and increased fatigue.

Dry lips can be a sign of the following diseases:

pathologies of the digestive system;
dehydration of the body;
constant stress, depression;
avitaminosis;
anemia;
kidney disease;
diabetes;
dysfunction of the thyroid gland;
tendency to allergic reactions;
inflammatory processes.

Another reason for severe dry lips is poor diet and consumption of foods that help remove fluid from the body. Girls may not even suspect that smoking, excess caffeine-containing drinks, or eating hot, spicy, salty foods could trigger the problem.

Dry corners of the lips are a clear sign of a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. Vitamin deficiency or hypervitaminosis affects the condition of the skin; it can dry out, become flabby, and inelastic. Before starting treatment, the cause of the disease should be determined. There are usually two of them. The first is the supply of microelements in insufficient quantities, the second is a violation of its digestibility.

Vitamin A or retinol. A deficiency of this substance is manifested by the following symptoms: sagging skin, loss of firmness and elasticity, dry lips. You can make up for the deficiency at home with the help of a properly formulated diet, which includes carrots, egg whites, and animal fats.
Vitamin E or tocopherol is responsible for regulating water balance in the skin. If it does not enter the body, the skin in the corners of the lips becomes dry and rough. The trace element is found in avocados and vegetable oils.
B vitamins take part in metabolic processes occurring in the cells of the dermis. Primary symptoms of a lack of these substances include chapped lips, inflammation, and the appearance of skin rashes.
Vitamin C is very important for maintaining healthy skin. If it is not enough, collagen synthesis is disrupted. Externally, this manifests itself as dry lip skin, pallor, and loss of elasticity. The trace element is found in citrus fruits, sea buckthorn and other fruits.

Not only adults can experience signs of vitamin deficiency. If a child has very dry lips, it is necessary to examine him to determine the cause of this condition. Treatment of the disease in children has its own characteristics, so it is impossible to do without consulting a specialist.

What to do and how to treat it?

If your lips become dry and begin to crack, you need to do something urgently. This not only looks ugly, but also brings a lot of discomfort to a person. Dry skin becomes painful, rough, and small wounds appear on the surface that can bleed. It may be a sign of disease. In this case, you cannot do without consulting a doctor, taking a test to establish the cause, and making a diagnosis. What to do to eliminate dry lips?

Cure the underlying disease. If the skin constantly dries out, this is most likely due to some pathological process in the body. Constantly dry lips in a child and an adult may indicate vitamin deficiency, dehydration, diseases of the digestive system and kidneys.
Moisturizing and nutrition. For external effects, cosmetic oils should be used. They will saturate dry skin with useful microelements and fill cells with moisture.
Protection. In children and adults, lips can dry out in winter under the influence of frost and wind. Before going outside, you need to apply special balms and lipsticks to your delicate skin.
Massage. This method is great for preventing dry corners of the lips and the skin around them. You should rub the skin with gentle massage movements, after treating it with vegetable oil. The procedure stimulates local blood circulation and accelerates regeneration processes.
Selection of cosmetics. Sponges may dry out due to the use of low-quality cosmetics. Some components of lipsticks, pencils, and glosses not only dry out the skin, but also contribute to allergic reactions, so you should not use cheap products from untested brands.

A proper, balanced diet plays an important role in healing lips and eliminating dryness. The daily diet should be enriched with vegetables and fruits, cereals, and dairy products. This approach will help not only remove dry lips in an adult or child at home, but also prevent the development of various diseases.

Home Recipes

In the arsenal of traditional medicine there are many means with which you can restore the beauty and health of your lip skin at home. They are used for moisturizing and nutrition, protection in winter from wind and frost, which are very drying. Making masks is very simple, and the effect of their use is amazing.

Honey mask. To stop your lips from cracking, you should apply a little honey to them every evening, grind and massage.
Curd mask. Mix fatty cottage cheese with carrot juice, apply to lips for 20 minutes, rinse.
Sour cream mask. Sour cream must be mixed with a few drops of vegetable oil and lemon juice, applied to the sponges, and after 10 minutes rinsed with warm water.
With Aevit. Puncture the capsule with a needle, squeeze the yellow contents onto your finger and apply to dry areas.

Such masks should be made at home at least twice a week to achieve a positive result. The advantages of such drugs include their availability, safety, absence of side effects and contraindications.

To keep your skin in excellent condition, you should avoid factors that can dry out your lips. It is necessary to use special means to protect them from cold, frost and wind. If this does not help, perhaps the reason lies in the occurrence of some disease. Are your child's lips constantly dry? It is better not to do anything without first consulting a specialist so as not to harm the baby’s health. You need to undergo an examination and identify the culprit of the problem, and only then begin treatment.

In this article we will tell you about why lips dry out, what are the main causes of this condition and how to deal with it correctly and effectively.

Why lips dry out - causes and diseases

With changing weather conditions, especially with the onset of the cold season, many are faced with the problem of dry lips, which manifests itself in the appearance of cracks and peeling.

But it happens that this problem occurs regardless of the time of year and weather conditions.

And then it is quite reasonable to raise the question of the reasons for this phenomenon and methods of treatment.

Why do women's lips crack?

A disease, the symptoms of which are dryness, peeling of the lips and cracks on them, is called cheilitis, during which the stratum corneum of the skin becomes inflamed.

It is worth noting that this problem occurs not only in women, but also in men, and even in children.

Moreover, these reasons can be completely different:

dehydration of the body;
allergy;
eating disorders;
viral or infectious diseases;
bad weather;
side effects from medications;
presence of bad habits.

Lack of water in the body is a fairly common cause of dry lips, which can be caused by a person's insufficient fluid intake or being in a dry environment.
Also, quite often peeling and dry lips appear in the cold season, especially with a sharp change in temperature and air humidity (for example, when a person comes from the street into a warm room with fairly high humidity).
Similar dehydration also occurs during a person’s illness, when an infection or virus absorbs all the person’s energy.
There is a particularly high risk that the corners of the lips and the lips themselves will peel and crack if a person has a runny nose.
If treatment is accompanied by the use of antibiotics, this can cause dysbiosis, which in turn will cause chapping and peeling.
Particular attention is paid to cases of peeling lips due to allergies or side effects of medications, since in most cases it is necessary to consult a doctor. In addition, both factors are necessarily accompanied by a number of other symptoms in the form of redness, itching, rash, etc.

Why do men and children have chapped lips?

A rather serious cause of dry, flaky and cracked lips is an improper diet.

Indeed, in the absence of certain vitamins and nutrients needed by the body, a similar reaction occurs.

Especially if the body is deficient in vitamin B or if a person has low hemoglobin.

And an equally common reason for the appearance of such unpleasant symptoms in both men and women is bad habits that have a negative impact on the immune system, weakening it, thereby the skin is much more susceptible to negative influences and begins to “sick.”

Sometimes dry lips and their peeling can be caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, poor oral hygiene, thermal or mechanical irritation of the lips as a result of eating excessively hot food, liquids containing caffeine, allergies to toothpaste, lipstick, etc.

Experts also highlight a number of toothpastes that contain excess fluoride, which negatively affects the condition of the skin around the mouth, especially if it is very sensitive to any influences.

Dry lips in children are in most cases associated with dehydration or vitamin deficiency.

The baby develops cracks on the lips or corners of the mouth, which is quite painful, especially when the child eats.

So, the most well-known causes of cracks in children are:

The skin is affected by a fungus. This usually manifests itself in the appearance of a whitish coating on the lower lip.
Dehydration caused by dry and hot air in the room where children are.
Lack of vitamins and nutrients.
Impaired nasal breathing, which can be caused by diseases of the nasopharynx or allergies.

It is necessary to ensure that the baby receives all the necessary vitamins, is in rooms with normal humidity, and drinks the right amount of various liquids.

In addition, the appearance of these symptoms in men and children is due to the fact that they do not use certain cosmetics in their daily routine that are actively used by women.

To accurately determine the cause of cheilitis, consult a therapist, who in turn will refer you to a doctor of a more specialized specialization (immunologist, dermatologist).

What to do if your lips dry out - treatment and prevention

As soon as the cause of dry and flaky lips is determined, you need to begin a course of treatment.

Typically, it includes vitamin therapy, treatment with local medications, and the use of cosmetics.

The first two forms of treatment are prescribed by a doctor, but you choose cosmetics yourself.

For treatment to be effective, each such remedy must include:

Complex of fat-soluble vitamins.
Components that promote the healing of cracks (chamomile extract, string, propolis, honey, aevit) –
Elements designed to create a protective layer and strengthen the immune system (beeswax, vitamins C).
Components that moisturize the skin around the mouth (plant oils).

Lip massage is characterized by quite high efficiency, thanks to which blood flow improves and dead cells are exfoliated.

The massage itself can be carried out using a toothbrush or fingertips and using almond or sea buckthorn oil.

In addition, there are a sufficient number of recipes for special masks that provide moisturizing, nourishing and peeling effects.

We recommend that you pay attention to these natural lip glosses. They are not only used as decorative cosmetics, but also moisturize lips well and help prevent the formation of chapped lips.

Prevention of dry lips

Prevention of cheilitis is also essential:

Normalization of the diet with a complete composition of vitamins and nutrients;
Drinking enough fluids;
Getting rid of bad habits, especially smoking;
Using balms or creams when going outside, regardless of the time of year.

Important Tips

If your lips are constantly cracking and peeling, then under no circumstances should you remove pieces of exfoliated skin, lick or bite it, this will only worsen the situation and increase the risk of infection.

Also, it is very important for women to remove makeup from their faces every evening so as not to expose their skin to prolonged harmful effects.

And a significant problem is licking and biting lips, which has an extremely negative effect on their condition and contributes to the occurrence of the described symptoms.

The problem of chapping, peeling, dry lips and the appearance of cracks on them is relevant for all people, regardless of gender and age.

It is important to understand that there are various reasons for the appearance of such symptoms, since in some cases it can be caused by a fungal infection or allergy, then the help of a specialist is required.

You should not self-medicate if you certainly do not know why cheilitis occurred or why your lips dry out; remember that the lack of proper help will lead to a serious deterioration of the situation.

Why do lips get so dry?