Sunday 25 December 2011
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The lips are among the body parts that many women are so preoccupied about, with a big percentage envying and wishing they had the attractive, pouty lips they see in the movies on in advertisements. But there is another reason why women pay attention to their lips: when puckering becomes too painful and pursing their lips becomes almost unbearable.
Chapped lips are actually more common than anybody would guess, as they can easily be caused by harsh winters, dry indoor conditions with high temperatures, or even the habit of licking one’s lips constantly. All of these contribute to drying out the skin on one’s lips by causing any moisture to evaporate from them. Eventually, this will result in cracked, rough, and sensitive lips that keep you from making even the slightest smiles.
Not only is protecting one’s lips crucial for keeping a pretty appearance and daily comfort, health issues are also at stake. Lips damaged by chapping tend to be breeding grounds for bacterial infections, cold sores, as well as many other problems. Whatever your reason for healing your chapped lips, the following tips should prove helpful:
1. Avoid licking – While licking your lips might make you feel better, it is actually just a temporary relief, and you will wind up making things worse. Think of how constantly washing one’s hands dries it out; this is also what happens when you lick your lips constantly: your lips get exposed to water repeatedly, subsequently robbing moisture from your skin. The end-result would be lips that are increasingly dry.
2. Use a protective barrier – For this, you can apply petroleum jelly on your lips, or apply lip balm, if you prefer having a nice scent or taste. Thankfully, there are many brands of lip balm now available in the market, and no prescription is needed. From the different scents and flavors, pick the one that you like; this way, you will have no qualms about using it frequently. Lip balms are mostly greasy or waxy, and they work by sealing in the moisture with their protective barrier.
3. Use sunscreen – While you will probably not be able to use your regular sunscreen on your lips, the point is that you understand how the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun can be just as damaging, if not more, on the sensitive skin on a person’s lips as they can be on skin on other body parts. This is because the lips do not contain melanin, or the pigmentation that protects the skin from UV rays. You can apply sunscreen on your lips by picking a lip balm that has sunscreen. The sun protection factor (SPF) should be at least 15.
4. Use lipstick – Women who already use lipstick may not need to be told to do so. Studies have indeed shown that older women had a lower risk of developing skin damage on their lips compared to older men, and speculation revolves around lipstick being the helpful barrier. Lipstick apparently offers a certain degree of protection against UV rays, and it also functions as a moisturizer. If you can find lipstick that comes with sunscreen, it would be even better.
5. Check your toothpaste – Some toothpastes or mouthwash may be to blame for your lips becoming rough and red, perhaps due to an allergy. If none of the above seems to help, consider using other brands of toothpaste or skipping your mouthwash over a few days. Also remember to rinse well after you brush.
6. Watch what passes your lips – Chapped lips are more sensitive, and there are certain types of food that may cause more irritation than others. If your lips are chapped, try to steer clear of acidic foods like orange juice, barbecue sauce, or pepper, as well as alcoholic beverages and mustard, to give your lips a chance to heal properly.
From these simple tips, you should be more informed about the proper way to care for your lips, not just when they are damaged but also for daily care. Once you are armed with the right information, you can very well kiss your chapped lips goodbye, and enjoy those sweet kissers puckering anytime you want without any pain or discomfort.
Home Remedies for Chapped Lips
Chapped lips are actually more common than anybody would guess, as they can easily be caused by harsh winters, dry indoor conditions with high temperatures, or even the habit of licking one’s lips constantly. All of these contribute to drying out the skin on one’s lips by causing any moisture to evaporate from them. Eventually, this will result in cracked, rough, and sensitive lips that keep you from making even the slightest smiles.
Not only is protecting one’s lips crucial for keeping a pretty appearance and daily comfort, health issues are also at stake. Lips damaged by chapping tend to be breeding grounds for bacterial infections, cold sores, as well as many other problems. Whatever your reason for healing your chapped lips, the following tips should prove helpful:
1. Avoid licking – While licking your lips might make you feel better, it is actually just a temporary relief, and you will wind up making things worse. Think of how constantly washing one’s hands dries it out; this is also what happens when you lick your lips constantly: your lips get exposed to water repeatedly, subsequently robbing moisture from your skin. The end-result would be lips that are increasingly dry.
2. Use a protective barrier – For this, you can apply petroleum jelly on your lips, or apply lip balm, if you prefer having a nice scent or taste. Thankfully, there are many brands of lip balm now available in the market, and no prescription is needed. From the different scents and flavors, pick the one that you like; this way, you will have no qualms about using it frequently. Lip balms are mostly greasy or waxy, and they work by sealing in the moisture with their protective barrier.
3. Use sunscreen – While you will probably not be able to use your regular sunscreen on your lips, the point is that you understand how the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun can be just as damaging, if not more, on the sensitive skin on a person’s lips as they can be on skin on other body parts. This is because the lips do not contain melanin, or the pigmentation that protects the skin from UV rays. You can apply sunscreen on your lips by picking a lip balm that has sunscreen. The sun protection factor (SPF) should be at least 15.
4. Use lipstick – Women who already use lipstick may not need to be told to do so. Studies have indeed shown that older women had a lower risk of developing skin damage on their lips compared to older men, and speculation revolves around lipstick being the helpful barrier. Lipstick apparently offers a certain degree of protection against UV rays, and it also functions as a moisturizer. If you can find lipstick that comes with sunscreen, it would be even better.
5. Check your toothpaste – Some toothpastes or mouthwash may be to blame for your lips becoming rough and red, perhaps due to an allergy. If none of the above seems to help, consider using other brands of toothpaste or skipping your mouthwash over a few days. Also remember to rinse well after you brush.
6. Watch what passes your lips – Chapped lips are more sensitive, and there are certain types of food that may cause more irritation than others. If your lips are chapped, try to steer clear of acidic foods like orange juice, barbecue sauce, or pepper, as well as alcoholic beverages and mustard, to give your lips a chance to heal properly.
From these simple tips, you should be more informed about the proper way to care for your lips, not just when they are damaged but also for daily care. Once you are armed with the right information, you can very well kiss your chapped lips goodbye, and enjoy those sweet kissers puckering anytime you want without any pain or discomfort.
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