Content

• Steps
• Warning

Chapped lips are often unavoidable and cannot be improved quickly. For most people, keeping lips from drying out is the best treatment. As for everyone else, chapped lips are inevitable. It is a long-term symptom and an irreversible side effect. Chapped lips can be cured (and prevented) with water and lip balm. For severely dry, long-term lips, see your doctor for further advice.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Chapped Lips Treatment

1. 

   Apply lip balm. Choose a colorless, odorless beeswax lip balm or a sunscreen lip balm. The lip balm protects your lips from the weather, so don't forget to apply it on sunny or windy days. The lip balm also heals cracks in the lips and is anti-inflammatory. Apply lip balm before going out, after eating, or any time you feel the lip balm wash off.
   • Avoid using scented lip balm if you have a habit of licking your lips. Choose a flavorless sunscreen lip balm.
   • Avoid using lip balm, as frequently using your fingers can produce bacteria that can affect cracks in your lips.
   • Wrap a shawl or wear a mask to protect lips in windy days to avoid further irritation, helping to heal lips.

2. 

   
   
   Do not peel dry skin. Scratching, peeling dry skin on your lips and biting your lips are hard to control, but it will adversely affect your lips' ability to heal. Dry exfoliation can damage and bleed the lips, slowing down or inflamed lips. In addition, you also experience pain when hurting your lips.
   • Do not exfoliate your chapped lips! The skin of the lips should be gently treated to heal. Exfoliating will cause the lips to become inflamed.

3. 

   
   
   Supply water to heal lips. Dehydration is a common cause of chapped lips. Drink plenty of water and apply moisturizer to your lips. You can heal mildly dry lips in a few hours by drinking water. In more severe cases, it takes more time: drink water with every meal, before and after exercising, and whenever you feel thirsty.
   • Dehydration usually occurs in winter. Avoid heating with dry heaters, and instead use air humidifiers if possible.

4. 

   
   
   See a doctor. If your lips become red, sore, and swollen, your lips may be inflamed. Inflammation of the lips is often caused by irritation or infection. Your lips will crack when it's too dry and bacteria can get into the crack, causing cheilitis. In this case, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic or antifungal to apply until the inflammation is gone. Licking the lips is also a common cause of cheilitis, especially in children.
   • Cheilitis can be a symptom of contact dermatitis. If you have a rash, see your doctor to diagnose a possible contact dermatitis.
   • Inflammation of the lips can be painful and long lasting.
   • In addition, certain oral medications, creams, and supplements can increase the risk of developing cheilitis. The most common are retinoids. Others include lithium, high-dose vitamin A, d-penicillamine, isoniazid, phenothiazine, chemotherapeutic agents busulfan, and actinomycin.
   • Chapped lips are a symptom of many diseases, including diseases related to the immune system (such as lupus, Crohn's disease), thyroid disease and psoriasis.
   • People with Down syndrome often have chapped lips.
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Part 2 of 2: Preventing Chapped Lips

1. 

   Don't lick your lips. You will unconsciously lick your lips to moisturize when it feels dry. However, lip licking has a negative effect because it removes the natural oils on the lips, making the lips dehydrated and chapped.If you find yourself starting to lick your lips, apply lip balm. When you can't stop licking your lips, see your doctor and ask for advice on how to treat them. Licking your lips, biting your lips, and pouting regularly can be symptoms of many disorders such as Obsessive-Forced Disorder (OCD) and Repeated Behavioral Concentration (BFRB).
   • Apply lip balm regularly to remind you not to lick your lips, bite your lips, or chew your lips. Choose a flavorless sunscreen lip balm.
   • Children 7 to 15 years old are more likely to develop cheilitis caused by frequent lip licking.

2. 

   Breathe through your nose. Breathing through your mouth can dehydrate your lips. If you tend to breathe through your mouth, practice making nose breathing a habit. Sit still for a few minutes each day and inhale through your nose and out through your mouth. Alternatively, you can use a nasal enlargement patch while sleeping to increase the size of the wings.

3. 

   Avoid allergens. Avoid oral dyes and allergens. Even a mild allergic reaction or reaction to a food can lead to dry chapped lips. If you have not been diagnosed with an allergy but have other symptoms such as digestive problems or redness along with dry lips, see your doctor. If you can't diagnose the problem, you can seek a referral to an allergist.
   • Check out the ingredients of the lip balm. Avoid using any ingredients that cause allergies, such as red products.
   • Some people are allergic to para-aminobenzoic acid found in sunscreen lip balm products. If you find your throat swollen or short of breath, stop using lip balm and go to hospital.

4. 

   Caring and moisturizing the lips. How to protect lips from chapped? Take care as if your lips are chapped. Drink water with each meal, keep a glass of water by the side to drink when thirsty. Apply lotion when you are outdoors or when the heater is on. Wrap your face in a towel to cover your face on a cold, windy day and apply sunscreen lip balm on a hot day.
   • Unless you want to get rid of the habit of licking your lips, you don't need to wear lip balm every day. But remember to wear it on a sunny or windy day if you don't want to apply it regularly.
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Warning

• If you find that your lips are inflamed or bleeding abnormally, you should see your doctor immediately.