Chapped Lips

Chapped lips is a common condition that occurs mostly during cold and dry weather, and it causes annoying and painful symptoms.

Chapped lips

Chapped lips is a condition that makes the lips dry, cracked, and scaly. Lip inflammation is usually a mild problem that can be resolved easily, but sometimes it may indicate a more serious issue.

Causes of chapped lips

• The skin of the lips doesn’t contain oil glands, and it is thinner and more sensitive than the skin of the rest of the body. This makes it more susceptible to being dried and cracked.
• Chapped lips can occur due to other causes rather than cold and dry weather, including frequent sun exposure, infections, allergic reactions, eczema, a reaction to a certain medication, thickening of the salivary glands, continuous peeling of the lips (like lip licking), dehydration, and iron or vitamin B deficiency.

Symptoms of chapped lips

• Dry lips.
• Cracked lips.
• Scaling and peeling lips.
• Mild pain and itching.
• Sores on the lips and in the mouth.
• Severely chapped lips can cause more pain and irritation, especially when eating certain types of foods, such as citrus fruit and salty and spicy foods.

Diagnosis of chapped lips

• Physical exam.
• Allergy skin test.
• Biopsy.
• Blood tests.

Treatment of chapped lips

• Treating chapped lips depends on the cause.
• In general, you can take care of lip inflammation by staying hydrated, using lip balm, avoiding licking and picking the lips, and using a humidifier when being in a dry and hot environment.
• The suitable lip balm must be fragrance-free and hypoallergenic and contain oils, ointments, or moisturizers. Adding to that, it mustn’t contain flavors, lanolin, menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, or waxes to avoid irritating the lips.