Sometimes cracked lips are a result of extreme weather conditions, allergies or the common cold. If lips are sore, painful and bleeding, it could be indicative of a more serious condition. People with an illness like cancer, HIV or an immunodeficiency disorder are at higher risk for developing lesions around the lips.
Petroleum Jelly
According to Go Ask Alice, Columbia University's Internet health service, you can apply petroleum jelly to cracked lips to ease pain and hydrate the skin. Petroleum jelly is an ingredient commonly found in moisturizers and cosmetics. It works by sealing the surface of the skin and preventing moisture from escaping. However, it will not hydrate the skin through absorption.
Humidifier
The Mayo Clinic recommends using a humidifier for treating cracked lips, especially when coupled with sinus pain and a bloody nose, symptoms that can be caused by a respiratory condition. Humidifiers emit steam or water vapor into the environment. The Mayo Clinic warns to keep the humidifier clean to avoid mold and bacteria.
Antifungal Cream
Antifungal ointment, like Neosporin, can provide relief and cure infections that infect lips. Joel Gallant, M.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, recommends using an antifungal medication to treat a condition like Angular cheilitis, which is characterized by inflammation and lesions on the surface of the lips, in the corners of the mouth and around the mouth.
Antivirals
Antiviral, prescription drugs, like Valtrex, Famvir and Zovirax, are used to treat oral herpes--a contagious condition that forms sores and causes cracks to appear on and around the mouth. Herpes can spread through sexual and nonsexual contact. In fact, it is not uncommon for children to innocently pick this infection up from a parent, reports HerpesOnline.org. Antivirals work by slowing the progression of the virus, which allows the body more time to fight it off.
The American Social Health Association reports that docosanol cream, sold over-the-counter as Abreva, is the only nonprescription medication approved by the FDA to treat the symptoms of oral herpes. A study done at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina found that oral herpes patients who were treated with docosanol recovered more quickly compared to patients treated with a different ointment.
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