Say goodbye to chapped, cracked lips and embrace soft, kissable ones. Discover effective remedies and prevention techniques to keep your lips hydrated and healthy
Normal, dry to atopic skin
How to get rid of chapped lips – Symptoms, Causes & Treatments
Reading time : 5 min
How to get rid of chapped lips?
Chapped lips are the result of dry and cracked lips. Many things can cause chapped lips to appear. Discover effective remedies and preventive techniques to avoid this condition and keep your lips hydrated and smooth.
Understanding chapped lips
Chapped lips, also known as cheilitis, happens when your lips feel dry, cracked, burning or stinging. It is a common and uncomfortable issue.
What are the symptoms of chapped lips?
Chapped lips are an inflammation which affects the skin on your lips, the area surrounding your lips and inside your mouth. Your lips may burn, sting or feel uncomfortable. It can be annoying, painful and even cause bleeding. Chapped lips can be short- or long-term.
The symptoms of chapped lips can include:
Dryness
Cracks
Bleeding
Itching
Redness
Burning
Swelling
Ulcers
How common are chapped lips?
Having chapped lips is a common issue. For some people, chapped lips happen every winter, for others, it happens any time of the year. Most people have experienced chapped lips at some point with no serious symptoms, but for some, it can become a medical matter which requires specific attention
What causes chapped lips?
The skin on the lips is different from that on the rest of the face. Thinner and more delicate, the skin on the lips is more likely to dry out and become chapped. Because your lips don’t contain any oil glands, they are at risk of becoming dry and chapped.
Different causes are involved in chapped lips condition.
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Remedies for chapped lips: How to soothe the lips?
Chapped lips can usually be treated with home remedies. The first step is to make sure that your lips have enough moisture.
How long do chapped lips last?
Chapped lips are not supposed to be a long-term condition, the symptoms normally disappear within 2 to 3 weeks if you follow the dermatologists' tips.
If you don’t see any improvement after 3 weeks, see a board-certified dermatologist
How to heal chapped lips fast?
To heal chapped lips’ symptoms and provide fast relief, apply the following dermatologist’s tips:
Use non-irritating lip balm
Apply lip balm several times a day and before bed
Drink enough daily
Use a humidifier at home
Don’t lick your lips and stop biting or picking at your lips
Apply lip balm with SPF 30 or higher before going in the sun
Avoid holding items made of metal with your lips
What product to use for chapped lips?
For chapped lips, you need to make sure to only use non-irritating lip balm. If the products you apply give you a feeling of discomfort such as burning or stinging, they are irritating and should be stopped right away.
BIODERMA offers a special range of ATODERM products that help moisturize and soothe the skin of the lips:
Atoderm Lip Stick is a daily skincare enriched with shea butter that instantly brings back softness and suppleness to your lips.
Atoderm Lip Balm is a daily lip balm that visibly restores dry and sensitive lips by providing durable moisture.
Lipstick formulas can either be nourishing or leave your lips dry and chapped. The best lipsticks to use when you have chapped lips issues are creams or glosses. Stain and matte lipsticks are the worst in drying out your lips.
Vaseline helps moisturize your lips, but it is no longer useful when your lips are already chapped. Vaseline is known to hold in moisture, but it is not effective to restore moisture once it has been lost.
In case of chapped lips, always use a humectant like shea butter to moisturize your lips and then, seal it with Vaseline.
Coconut oil is an emollient that not only moisturizes the skin but also protects its barrier function.
Coconut oil in lip balms can be a good option for hydrating lips and preventing the skin from becoming chapped. It is also known for relieving inflammation, accelerating wound healing and treating acne.
If you have sensitive skin, use a small amount of coconut oil to make sure it does not cause irritation or block pores.
Honey belongs to the humectant's family, which means that it helps moisturize your lips when they are already dry and chapped. It is an anti-inflammatory that has been used for centuries as a home remedy for skin care.
Honey helps moisturize your lips and protect cracked lips from infection. It is also an exfoliator which helps remove dry and dead skin from your lips.
How to heal severely chapped lips?
When your lips are prone to cracking and start to bleed, you can apply an ointment designed for lips specifically.
If you have tried multiple remedies and your symptoms are not improving, you need to contact your healthcare provider to discuss underlying causes or other treatment options.
Cheilitis is often to blame for severely chapped lips, and it is attributed to infections and inflammatory diseases.
What to do if chapped lips don’t heal?
When chapped lips don’t heal, visit your healthcare provider who can prescribe more advanced treatments and perform tests to confirm if there is another medical condition involved.
Chapping that doesn’t heal can be a sign of infection or a more serious problem like actinic cheilitis, angular cheilitis, lack of nutrients, allergic reaction.
How to prevent chapped lips?
Your lips are always exposed and don’t have oil glands to protect them. Some habits can worsen the symptoms whereas many preventive measures can help you keep your lips safe and healthy.
You can prevent chapped lips by:
Applying lip balm before you go to bed, when you wake up and many times during the day
Wearing lip balm with SPF when going outside
Avoiding peeling or biting flaky skin which slow the healing process and cause more irritation
Stopping exfoliates that cause further damage
Avoiding ingredients like eucalyptus, menthol, camphor and scented or flavored lip products
Quitting smoking
While chapped lips may be irritating and uncomfortable, there are many ways to treat them and prevent the appearance of the symptoms. Always keep your lip balm in a convenient location and use it daily, your lips will be healthy.
