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X Watch the video on youtubeDefinition of dry lips
Dried lips represent an unpleasant disorder characterized by extremely brittle lips that crack and, in severe cases, crack to the point of bleeding.
Ensuring constant hydration for the lips is without doubt the first protective intervention to be implemented to prevent dryness.
When dry lips become a non-repairable problem through normal natural cosmetic treatments, it is necessary to request a consultation from the doctor to ascertain the absence of any underlying pathologies.
Causes
The main cause of dry lips is to be found in the drastic reduction of their water component: by drying very quickly, the lips dry out and, by cracking, create pain and discomfort. On the surface, the lips have a thin oily film, a natural defense against moisture loss; thus, when this protective film is removed or damaged, the lips lose their natural defensive bulwark.
What are the causes of this phenomenon?
Mainly, the lips remain "uncovered" due to the weather: the cold and wind typical of the winter months, but also the solar or artificial UV radiations, favor a rapid evaporation of the moisture naturally present in this area. Not surprisingly, staying in the open air in the high mountains in the winter months determines a deep labial dryness, which must be absolutely prevented by using specific lip sticks enriched with sun filters.
Deepening: why are the lips so sensitive?
To understand why the lips are so susceptible to cold, it is good to take a step back and analyze the main characteristics of the lip skin.
We have seen that the lips are very sensitive and delicate areas; consequently, when they are neglected or not treated with the right products, they rebel, they dry up and appear visibly unhealthy. The skin of the lips is much thinner than the skin of any other part of the body, and the underlying blood vessels are very visible (it is thanks to the presence of these blood vessels that the lips take on the typical pink color). Furthermore, the skin of the lips contains a number of very inferior melanocytes compared to the skin of the other parts of the body. Finally, the skin of the lips does not have hair follicles, sweat glands or sebaceous glands.
In addition to environmental insults, the habit of licking their lips also negatively affects their appearance: for the same reasons described above, the tongue (or rather, the saliva) goes to remove the protective thin layer of the lips, favoring the onset of cracks and cuts.
Dry lips can also be linked to cosmetic factors: the application of unsuitable products, too aggressive and of poor quality can in fact cause cracks and dryness. Just think, for example, of drawing up a lipstick that contains pigments or other allergenic substances: the lips react to the insult, they dry up, to the point of creating - in the most serious cases - real allergic reactions.
We must not forget, then, that in some cases, dry lips can conceal a much more serious disorder: bacterial infections, as well as some vitamin deficiencies and dehydration of the body can in fact cause a progressive dryness of this area.
Symptoms
Dry lips do not always begin with the same symptoms: the severity of the problem depends on both the cause that caused it and the degree of moisture present in the lips.
However, dry lips are normally accompanied by symptoms such as burning, redness, swelling, "pulling skin", flaking and cracking.
When the skin of the lips becomes particularly dry, the stretch of the lips can cause real painful cracks that can often even bleed (bleeding rashes).
Treatments and tips
An excellent protection for the lips against external agents is the constant and regular use of moisturizing creams or oily-based sticks: the use of products with a moisturizing, nourishing and emollient action is the first line of defense against dry lips.
The most suitable substances to protect the skin from atmospheric agents are undoubtedly the vegetable ingredients that restore the barrier function of the skin of the lips. Among these, the most noteworthy are shea butter, cocoa butter, vegetable oils (eg avocado oil, wheat germ oil, borage oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, etc.) and waxes (eg jojoba liquid wax, beeswax).
Preferred are products enriched with vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids (source of omega 6) such as wheat germ oil, oil extracted from sunflower seeds and corn.
In herbal medicine or in the pharmacy you can also buy products enriched with healing substances, useful for accelerating the repair of dry and chapped lips: substances such as hypericum, propolis, castor oil, aloe and lanolin are particularly suitable for restoring relatively quickly the protective film altered on the lips.
Remedies
In addition to the cosmetic treatment, it is possible to reduce the burning that often accompanies dry lips, at the same time improving its appearance, by putting into practice some small suggestions, described below:
- Avoid acidic drinks in the presence of dry lips: for example, the contact of citrus juices with the lips can accentuate the typical burning sensation
- Do not humidify your lips continuously with your tongue
- Follow a healthy and balanced diet
- Correct any vitamin deficiencies: when necessary, supplement the diet with vitamin supplementation (indicated those of group B)
- Prefer the creamy and quality lipsticks
- Drink plenty of water (at least two liters of water per day)
- Stop smoking
- Before going to bed, apply a product based on zinc oxide on the skin: some people (especially those who take a prone position during sleep) tend to let saliva drip from the mouth. Sometimes, this behavior can favor cracking on the lips: to overcome this problem, a stick based on zinc oxide is the effective remedy
- Protect your lips with sun protection factors
