When cold winter winds blow, your skin suffers, particularly sensitive areas of your body like your lips. Moisturizers can help relieve dry skin, but they may not be particularly helpful in in reducing dry skin on your lips. Using moisturizing lip balms and increasing the humidity in your home can help your lips look and feel their best.
Identification
Moisture decreases in the air when the temperature drops. With a reduction in humidity, your skin is more likely to become dry or chapped. Cold winds can make the problem worse. Moisture depletion doesn't just happen outside, but can happen indoors when furnaces and heating systems draw moisture from the air.
Symptoms
Dry lips look cracked and may appear a brighter shade of red than normal, particularly if your lips are inflamed and painful. Dry skin may begin to peel from your lips, making it difficult to wear lipstick if you are a woman. If your skin is extremely dry, cracks may develop on your lips.
Risk Factors
Dry, chapped lips may just be another part of growing older. UAB Medicine reports that some people have a genetic predisposition to dry skin, which worsens with age. Other risk factors include spending long periods of time working or playing outdoors, smoking and dehydration. If you already have a skin condition or use acne medications, you may also be more prone to develop dry lips.
Prevention/Solution
When your lips are dry, the natural thing to do is to lick them to moisten them. Unfortunately, when your saliva evaporates, your lips are even drier than before. Although avoiding licking your lips is hard to do when your lips feel dry, avoiding the temptation can help reduce dryness. Applying a lip balm throughout the day and whenever you go outside will help soften and moisturize your lips. Look for products that contain beeswax or petrolatum. MayoClinic recommends avoiding flavored lip balms. If you use a flavored lip balm, you may be tempted to lick your lips more often.
If you don't have any lip balm, apply a thin coating of petroleum jelly to your lips. You can also improve the condition of your lips by drinking plenty of liquids, avoiding skin care products with fragrances and dyes, and protecting your mouth with a scarf when you go outside, particularly if it is windy. Purchasing a humidifier can help restore indoor moisture levels and reduce dry lips.
Warning
If cracks develop at the corners of your mouth, you may have a condition called angular cheilitis. Using lip balm won't help heal the cracking and may even worsen it by trapping bacteria or fungus. If the problem is severe, your doctor may prescribe topical antifungals or steroid medications.
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