Why does your lower lip dry out? (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 is 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.

Women's lips can become dry for a variety of reasons, even cold weather. It is necessary to determine why this is happening and what needs to be done. When such a problem persists, it can signal the presence of diseases in the body.

Why do lips dry out?

Lips dry out for several reasons:

Change in air temperature from high to low. If no balm is applied to the lips, they become dry and tight.
Presence of an allergic reaction for the funds used. To understand the reason, you need to recall in your memory those products that have been used over the past 4 days. It could be cosmetics, food, toothpaste, medicine or coffee - a large amount of coffee dries out the skin of the lips.
Partial dehydration. If the body experiences a lack of fluid, the lips begin to dry out. To normalize your water balance, it is important to drink 2 liters of water per day.
Presence of a virus or disease. With fungal diseases, diabetes, psoriasis or weak immunity, the lips may peel. If this happens, it means that the body does not have enough vitamins A, B and E.
Hot food. It is best to eat warm food, as hot food dries out the skin.
Inappropriate cosmetics. If cosmetic products are chosen incorrectly, they cause a feeling of discomfort. Lips dry out and crack. Unsuitable lipstick should be wiped off and not used again.
Smoking. Harmful smoke and temperature changes also cause women's lips to dry out.
Lack of vitamins.
Changes in hormonal levels. Like the above mentioned reason, it is observed during pregnancy. This is why pregnant women often complain of dry lips.

Lips dry out after 40, 50 years - reasons

After overcoming the 40-year mark, women's bodies begin to undergo hormonal changes, which is why their lips begin to dry out. What to do must be decided, taking into account not only age, but also possible associated causes.

If there is a deficiency of vitamins and other beneficial nutrients, lips begin to crack and peel. This happens because blood stagnates in the lips and metabolism is disrupted.

People 40 years of age and older need to constantly moisturize their skin and periodically take vitamin complexes. It is also important to drink 2 liters of plain water every day. After 50 years, women experience menopause, which is accompanied by changes in hormone levels. When the level of estrogen and progesterone decreases, dryness and burning appear in the mouth, and the same is felt on the lips.

What diseases can cause dryness?

The causes of dry lips in women are not always external factors; quite often the causes are pathological. To find out why this happens and what to do, you need to conduct a diagnosis.

Dry lips can occur due to a number of diseases:

chronic ichthyosis, inherited. With this disease, the functioning of the skin is disrupted, which is expressed in peeling of the lips;
seborrhea – malfunction of the sebaceous glands. The skin dries not only on the lips, but also on the head;
renal failure. Because of it, lips dry out and crack;
diabetes. The skin of the lips begins to peel off;
psoriasis. Due to this disease, a dry crust forms on the lips.

When to see a doctor

You need to go to the doctor if:

the appearance of purulent crusts on the lips;
the occurrence of ulcers and plaque on mucous membranes, painful sensations;
limited salivation, difficulty swallowing saliva;
malaise, rapid onset of fatigue;
fluctuations in body temperature, its increase or decrease relative to the norm;
constant need to drink fluids, frequent desire to go to the toilet;
swelling of the tongue, lips or throat;
vomiting or diarrhea.

First of all, you need to visit a therapist. Based on your symptoms, he will make a referral to the appropriate doctor. Dermatologists, infectious disease specialists, allergists, endocrinologists and dentists treat lip problems.

What measures to take

To prevent your lips from drying out, you can take vitamins A, E and B, which are necessary for the human body, which are readily available in any pharmacy today, or you can ensure a sufficient supply of vitamins by consuming foods rich in them.

The products are sources of the following vitamins:

Vitamin A – egg yolk, carrots, sea buckthorn, pumpkin, as well as bell pepper and liver;
Vitamin E – soy, almonds, eggs and peas.

It is important to drink 2 liters of water daily. If your lips are already chapped, you should temporarily avoid eating citrus fruits and foods with a lot of spices and salt. Such food will irritate the skin, which will make it take a very long time to heal.

Under no circumstances should you lick or bite your lips. Saliva is capable of digesting food, so getting it on the skin will lead to negative results. It is also not recommended to tear off or bite off dried skin, since its recovery will be long and painful, and there is a possibility of infection in the wound.

Massage

To improve blood circulation, you can do a small massage. To do this, apply Vaseline to your toothbrush and apply it to the skin of your lips. Movements can be in different directions: circular and back and forth. Vaseline that is not absorbed should be removed with a dry cloth.

As a result of the massage, your lips will turn a little red and dry skin will peel off. This procedure should be done once; if necessary, it can be repeated in a week.

Hydration

To moisturize lips, a variety of products are used, ranging from cosmetic balms to those prepared independently at home from natural products.

Hygienic lipsticks. There are different types, sold in any pharmacy and in many stores. Suitable for regular use at any time of the year.
Ice. They need to wipe the skin of the lips in the morning and before bed. Thanks to ice, the skin adapts to the cold and will not react to frost.
Baby cream. Rub into the skin of the face and lips, the layer should be thin.
Aloe. Helps well with small cracks. You need to cut a small leaf from the flower and spread the juice on the surface of your lips. Repeat this process until complete healing.
Fish fat. It is best to take it in capsule form. With regular use, fat helps prevent dry skin.
Kiwi. Apply a fresh cut of one piece to your lips and wait until the juice dries.
Goose fat. In case of severe dry lips, this product will help from the first use.
Vitamins A and E. They must be purchased in ampoules. Both vitamins should be mixed and smeared on the skin in 2 layers. The mixture is stored in the refrigerator until next time.

Lip masks - recipes

When lips dry out, women wonder what to do about it and why this problem arose. Most of them prefer to deal with such a nuisance at home.

Masks are used for this:

Take 30 g of sour cream, 5 ml of lemon juice, 30 ml of olive oil. The mixed composition is distributed over the lips and washed off after 10 minutes.
90 ml of pumpkin juice, 30 g of cottage cheese are mixed and spread on the problem area. After 7 minutes, wash off the mixture with water. During the day you need to repeat the procedure 3 times.
30 ml of sage decoction, 10 g of honey are mixed, lubricated on the lips and washed off after 15 minutes. Repeat the procedure three times during the day.
10 g of finely grated apple pulp, 10 ml of liquid butter are applied to the surface of the skin, washed off after 15 minutes.
20 g of dry calendula, 50 ml of flaxseed oil are mixed and the mixture is put in a cool place for 24 hours, applied to the lips, after 20 minutes the composition is washed off with water.
1 tsp aloe juice, 1 tsp. honey, mixed to a homogeneous consistency, applied to the lips. After 15 minutes, wash off with water.
Take 30 g of cranberry juice, 20 g of starch. Crush the cranberries with a spoon or fork, place them in cheesecloth and squeeze out the juice. Mix the liquid with starch and apply to the lips. After 1/3 hour, wash off.

Lip peeling

First you need to clean the surface of your lips from makeup, and then wipe the skin with a towel so that it becomes dry. The pre-prepared mixture is applied to the lips with your fingers, while doing a slight massage for 4-5 minutes. Any composition that is not absorbed should be washed off with water. At the end of the procedure, lubricate the lips with cream.

Recipe No. 1. 1/3 tbsp. sugar, 1/3 tbsp. Olive oils are mixed in one container and applied to the skin of the lips with massaging movements. Wash off the residue with water.
Recipe No. 2. 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. Cane sugar is mixed and applied to the lips. After half an hour, wash off the residue with water or a napkin.
Recipe No. 3. 0.5 tsp ground coffee, 1/3 tbsp. Olive oils are mixed until smooth and applied to the skin with massaging movements. The residue should be washed off after 4 minutes.
Recipe No. 4. 1/3 tbsp. honey, 1/3 tbsp. soda, 0.5 tsp. Olive oils are mixed and applied for 1/3 hour. Wash off the residue with water.

What medications to use

Aevit contains vitamin E and retinol. Thanks to this composition, this drug combats dry lips well. Aevit is sold in capsule form. The oil from the capsules should be applied to the surface of the lips no more than 2 times a day throughout the year, this will protect the lips from drying out. If they are already dry, apply the oil at least 3 times a day until recovery.
Acyclovir used to treat herpes disease. It is sold as an ointment. It should be applied to the affected area of the skin, without distributing it over the entire area of the lips. The drug is used daily until recovery.
Panthenol Sold as chapstick. It works best for cracked lips. This lipstick can be used daily until complete recovery. The drug contains cocoa, beeswax and shea butter. It also contains vitamin E and provitamin B5.
Levomekol sold as an ointment. It is excellent for the treatment of angulitis - sticking at the corners of the lips. The ointment helps against inflammation, stops the proliferation of staphylococcal bacteria and accelerates skin regeneration.
Miramistin helps fight herpes on the lips. It is applied to a cotton pad and applied to the herpes blisters for 10 minutes. The drug is sold in the form of a spray. The more often you use it, the faster it will help. If you use Miramistin 3-4 times during the day, then you can forget about the sore within a day.
Syntomycin ointment treats cracked lips. It contains chloramphenicol, which has an antibacterial effect. You need to use liniment every day, twice a day. After a few days, the cracks will disappear, and your lips will delight you with their smoothness and elasticity.
Calendula Sold as ointment and oil. It heals and fights inflammation. This remedy will help when your lips are itchy and the skin is peeling off.

Homeopathic remedies for dry lips

Aconitum is a natural product from flowers of the ranunculaceae family. It fights well against dehydrated and dry lip skin.
Belladonna helps cure lips from severe dryness and flaking. Belongs to the nightshade family.
Bryony used for cracked lips and chapped skin. Belongs to the pumpkin family.
Cinnabaris helps in the fight against thirst, dry mouth and lips.

Cosmetical tools

Lip gloss. Such products should contain paraffin, natural oils, vitamins, wax and petroleum jelly. One such gloss is Toitbel Sensitive. It is designed for sensitive lips.
Pomade. It is best to choose one that does not contain glycerin. Such lipsticks usually belong to the middle and premium segments.
Lip balm. Must be wax based. It is better if the composition contains vegetable oils and vitamins. The Payot line of balms well moisturizes and protects the skin of the lips.
Hygienic lipstick. The composition should contain beeswax, vitamins and plant-based oils.
Lip cream. Must contain lactic acid, oils, caffeine and natural extracts.

What not to do

Thanks to numerous studies, scientists and doctors have found out why women’s lips dry out, what not to do, how not to harm and how to painlessly cure this problem.

The main prohibitions include:

First of all, you should not let the process take its course and ignore the problem, because dry lips can signal illness.
You cannot remove dry skin from your lips, as the wounds will take a long time to heal, and they can also accidentally become infected.
Chapped lips cannot be scrubbed as this will make the situation worse. It is best to understand the cause of the disease and begin treatment.
You should not lick your lips, as saliva can dry out the dermis. Moreover, you should not do this in the cold.
You can't neglect moisturizers during the cold season. Thanks to them, your lips will be protected from moisture loss.

Anyone can have dry lips, including women. We managed to figure out why this happens and what to do if the disease occurs. The disease causes discomfort, but there are many possibilities for its treatment, the main thing is to correctly diagnose the cause.

Video about why women's lips dry out, what to do and how to treat

The main causes of dry lips and solutions:

Remedies that can help prevent dry lips and cracking:

I couldn’t go a single day without lip balm because my lips were so dry. They advised me to try peelings with cream, honey and olive oil. I can’t say that I’ve completely given up balms, but my lips dry out much less and don’t crack.

Dry lips - common problem among many women. Moreover, the skin of the lips can become dry not only in the cooler months of the year. This article will help you understand what causes dry lips and how to deal with this problem.

Why women's lips dry and crack: reasons

Doctors and dermatologists indicate several common causes of dry lips:

temperature changes;
lack of vitamins;
certain diseases;
Unhealthy Lifestyle;
professional problems;
reaction to medications;
bad habits.

Sometimes dry lips are caused by two or even three reasons at once, which are not so easy to deal with. It is worth talking about each reason for the manifestation of this trouble separately.

Temperature changes

For many, discomfort on the lips appears precisely during temperature changes, when delicate skin is exposed to polar temperatures. This happens especially often in winter and autumn, when you need to leave the house and go outside, where there are sub-zero temperatures and strong winds that dry out your lips.

In summer, you should also be on guard - many already know how the insidious sun negatively affects hair: it dries it out, makes it more brittle and dull. Ultraviolet rays do not have the best effect on the skin. But, if the long-term effect of prolonged exposure to the sun manifests itself only years later (wrinkles, age spots), then the lips may dry out immediately.

Hypersensitivity to cold or solar radiation is more often diagnosed not in women, but in men 20-60 years old.

Lack of vitamins

This is a big problem in the winter-spring period, when many people eat less varied than in the summer. The main fighters for the beauty and smoothness of the skin of the lips are vitamins A, E, D and B (especially B2). Often, in addition to dry lips, there is a burning sensation in the mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue, and signs of fine-scaly peeling and thin vertical cracks are noticeable on the reddish border of the lips. The lack of vitamins is often painful - cracks that tend to bleed and an enlarged tongue are a concern.

Diseases

Dry and cracking lips can be caused by an illness. One of the most common manifestations of serious health problems is cheilitis, an inflammatory process that affects the mucous membrane and skin of the lips.

Cheilitis can manifest itself in the form of swelling, redness, dryness and peeling of the lips, and sometimes bleeding ulcers, purulent crusts, burning and pain when opening the mouth and eating. Often the problem is recurrent.

Cheilitis may be associated or caused by the following reasons:

Fungal infections, erythematosis, psoriasis, lichen planus, syphilis, tuberculosis and other skin diseases;
Allergic reactions. Often appear during contact with components included in lipsticks and some products. Those suffering from such troubles have clinical manifestations of dryness and flaking of the facial skin;
Neurological disorders. The so-called exfoliative cheilitis occurs from severe anxiety, depression, and anxious feelings of a person. This type of cheilitis most often has a continuous, sluggish course, with moments of remissions and exacerbations, and is almost impossible to self-heal;
Hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. Researchers have reason to believe that this problem also causes dry lips;
Chronic gastritis and gastroduodenitis. Up to a third of people with these diseases constantly experience bad breath, rashes on the lips and in the mouth: dryness and peeling of the lips are observed in most patients;
Anomalies of the minor salivary glands (congenital or acquired). At risk of getting glandular cheilitis are women with chronic periodontal disease, tartar and caries: these problems lead to infection of the salivary gland ducts;
Neuritis of the facial nerve. There may be a hereditary predisposition. A sign of these diseases can be dry lips, itching, and sometimes swelling that spreads to other parts of the face. The color of the lips and skin does not change, although in swollen areas the skin becomes bluish-pink. Neuritis can manifest itself as a skewing of the face in the healthy direction, and the nasolabial fold is smoothed out.

Professional problems

We are talking, first of all, about musicians who play wind instruments. In response to the prolonged presence of mouthpieces in the mouth, severe itching, dryness, pain, burning, swelling and redness of the lips occur. In some cases, bubbles appear on the lips, after opening which cracks are exposed. This is another clinical manifestation of cheilitis - allergic contact. Most often, in musicians, such cheilitis becomes chronic and manifests itself in the form of dryness, flaking and slight itching without a strong inflammatory reaction.

Bad habits

Bad habits that can cause peeling and dry lips include:

constant lip biting;
the habit of holding foreign objects in the mouth: pencils, pens, etc.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle can be understood, first of all, as unhealthy diet (consuming large amounts of salty foods, coffee), addiction to drugs and alcohol consumption.

Medications

Some drugs can cause a number of side effects, which are described in the instructions for use. Such medications include a powerful drug for the treatment of skin diseases, Roaccutane: this drug makes the skin tender and hypersensitive - lips crack and dry during the entire period of treatment. Some other drugs for the treatment of acne have the same effect - “Aknekutan”, “Sotret”, etc.

Treatment for dry lips

Dry lips occur for certain reasons, the identification and treatment of which is the main task of every beautiful lady or man. At the same time, it is necessary to treat and eliminate external defects at home.

Deep health problems that cause dry lips can be treated with appropriate medications prescribed by a doctor. In some cases, autohemotransfusion (transfusion of a patient's own blood), UVB (ultraviolet irradiation of blood) and other methods of increasing the body's reactivity are effective.
If signs of an allergy are found to any cosmetic product or product, then you should not experiment - forget about it forever, no matter how tasty or expensive it is. If the lips are very sore, antihistamines are taken orally.
In order to prevent your lips from drying out, peeling and hurting, you need to constantly protect them from cold or insolation, using hygienic lipstick before going outside - and better with SPF protection, which will be useful in winter.

It is also beneficial to use moisturizing lipsticks after meals and throughout the day.

When treating complex forms of dryness and irritation of the lips, it is very important to follow a hypoallergenic diet, excluding strawberries, caviar, herbs, citrus fruits, spicy foods and alcohol from the diet.

Taking care of the beauty of your lips is an important daily ritual for every girl who wants to always look attractive to her man and everyone around her. Following these simple rules will always allow you to smile broadly and feel great!

Why does your lower lip dry out? (English)

Why does your lower lip dry out?