Chapped Lips
Most of us believe that getting chapped lips is purely a problem of the weather. The cold weather or the wind causes chapping of the lips and a good moisturizer will treat the chapping and bring lips back to the earlier look. Chapping may cause problems. Chapping is not only a cosmetic problem, but it also causes problem in eating too. Lips may hurt if they get cracked and blood comes out of those cracks. Is chapping of lips only because of change of weather? No, many skin diseases and drugs may cause it. Learn more to keep your kisses beautiful.
Lips- How the lip skin is different?
Lips do not have sebaceous glands. Lips also do not have any sweat glands. The dead layer on the epidermis of lip skin is much thinner compared to body skin. Because of absence of sebaceous glands, lips are not protected by the sebum. The thin dead layer also makes them more susceptible to damage from weather and other factors.
Chapped Lips- Reasons
Weather is one of the main reasons. The cold weather dries the lips. Similarly if the air is short of humidity as happens in air conditioned areas, or heated ares, lips lose moisture. This loss of moisture chaps the lips. Wind can also chap the lips. If you walk out on windy days without protecting your lips, you may get chapped lips.
Other reasons of chapped lips are-
Vitamin A:
Please look at your medicines? Are you taking more than required amount of vitamin A? Are you using any skin care product containing retinoids, on lips? That may be one cause of chapped lips. Vitamin A in excess, peels and dries the skin.
Diseases:
Psoriasis and lichen planus can create chapped lips. The lips may get affected by these diseases and unless you treat the cause, the chapped look will not go.
Candida infection may chap the lips at the corners. You will have to talk to your doctor and find out the cause of the cracks at the corners. Cracks at the corners of the lips may also form due to saliva and allergies.
You may be allergic to lip care products. You may also be having contact allergy to some foods, which may cause allergic contact dermatitis on your lips. Some medications may be causing chapped lips. Talk to your doctor about that. Other reasons may be allergy to candies, flavors, etc. Chapping may be because of allergies, side-effects of medications or skin problems. Take care of these and protect your lips in cold weather and dry air.
This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advise and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.
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