Disclaimer: This is meant for general skincare advice and sharing of knowledge. This is not medical advice.
Welcome back! I think it is fair to say that our lips are sometimes ignored when it comes to skincare and making sure everything is healthy. This is coming right before summertime because sunburns on the lips can be downright painful and super annoying. I know I have been there, have you?
Either way, lets take a look at what makes our lips slightly different than the rest of our skin and what general things we can do to avoid sunburned lips or cracked/dry lips. This picture really describes this best. The first thing to notice is that the lip skin on the right has a thin stratum corneum which is the top protective layer of skin. The second thing to notice is that the skin lacks sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and hair follicles (thank God for this though).
So why does this matter?
A thin stratum corneum and lack of other structures leave your lips unprotected from external factors such as the sun and dry weather during the winter. There is what is called transepidermal water loss. What this means is that there is a lot of water that passively evaporates from the skin due to the decreased barrier that holds the moisture in.
All of this comes down to one thing: Your lips need more love in the moisturizing game than other areas of the body. So let me help you!
What to do?
Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate - I talk about this a lot but the best way is to use an ointment. A well known example is vaseline or petroleum jelly. Ointments are a lot thicker and contain the most oil. The higher oil content makes up for the lack of sebaceous glands in your lips which provide normal skin with natural moisturization.
Some of my favorites include:
You can’t go wrong with any of these. I would recommend using them 2-4 times per day depending on how dry your lips feel!
What not to do:
Some people might say to exfoliate but I find that this can usually cause more irritation and more bothered areas on the lips. If you can do it gently then that is fine but just try to avoid irritation.
Do not continue to lick your lips. Your saliva contains certain enzymes that can actually cause worsening dryness and irritation.
I hope this helps you fight dry lips during the winter and the summer. There are plenty of products that also provide SPF protection now that we are in the summer. Follow along for more skincare tips on twitter at The Skincare Provider