Learn what causes chapped lips — and how to treat them.
When your lips become dry, lost or chapped, it can happen for a number of reasons. Cracked lips can be irritating and painful.
Cheilitis is a medical term for severe scaly, cracked, or swollen skin on or around the lips.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to treat chapped lips.
What Causes Chapped Lips?
The skin on your lips is thinner than the rest of your body, so it is more sensitive to dryness and walking. Some common causes of chapped lips include:
Exposure to dry or cold weather
Too much sun exposure
Lick your lips repeatedly
Some people are sensitive to the ingredients in certain foods, and contact with these foods can cause skin itching and swelling around the lips. Common foods in this category are mango, citrus fruits and cinnamon.
Some lipsticks, lip balms, and other personal care products – including toothpaste, mouthwash, and sunscreen – contain ingredients that make the lips feel itchy and irritated.
Some medications, such as retinoids (a form of vitamin A), can dry out the lips. Retinoids are sometimes used to treat skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. Are used.
Some skin conditions and other chronic disorders can also affect the lips, causing them to feel dry, cracked or irritated. These terms include:
Eczema
But plans
Lupus erythematosus
Automatic acute illnesses
Crohn’s disease
Sarcoidosis
Some malnutrition
How to Prevent and Treat Chapped Lips
The skin on your lips is thinner than the rest of your body, so it is more sensitive to dryness and walking. Some common causes of chapped lips include:
Exposure to dry or cold weather
Too much sun exposure
Lick your lips repeatedly
Some people are sensitive to the ingredients in certain foods, and contact with these foods can cause skin itching and swelling around the lips. Common foods in this category are mango, citrus fruits and cinnamon.
Some lipsticks, lip balms, and other personal care products – including toothpaste, mouthwash, and sunscreen – contain ingredients that make the lips feel itchy and irritated.
Some medications, such as retinoids (a form of vitamin A), can dry out the lips. Retinoids are sometimes used to treat skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. Are used.
Some skin conditions and other chronic disorders can also affect the lips, causing them to feel dry, cracked or irritated. These terms include:
Eczema
But plans
Lupus erythematosus
Automatic acute illnesses
Crohn’s disease
Sarcoidosis
Some malnutrition
Chapped Lips in Newborns
Children can have cracked lips just like adults. Dry weather is a possible cause.
Some babies lick or suck their lips. It can also cause chapping.
In newborns, chapped lips can cause trouble sleeping or feeding. It is important to treat chapped lips in newborns as soon as possible, and to take steps to prevent the condition from recurring.
Having a humidifier in your home or nursery can keep the air moist and help protect your baby (and you) from the lips.
If you rub a little nipple cream or breast milk on the newborn’s lips, their lips get relief and if they slip, it helps to heal their lips.
