As the winter draws in many suffer with this problem. More often than not what causes chapped lips is evaporation of moisture out of the lips. This happens because the skin on lips is very thin and once dry they can be prone to cracking. Furthermore this can cause sore lips which will give you pain.
- Licking your Lips- When you lick your lips a layer of saliva is applied which quickly evaporates and this dries them out.
- Dry Air- In Winter there is less humidity in the air and once it reaches less than 45% relative humidity the lips start drying out quickly.
- Medical Conditions- Lack of Iron and Vitamin B4 can both cause dry lips. Also various prescription medication can worsen the problem.
- Use a lip balm, this is deigned to help maintain the moisture in lips and is tried and tested. There are many types on the market from Beeswax based, Petroleum jelly based to specialist products like ChapStick®.
- Try a different toothpaste- Some synthetic flavors used in toothpaste can cause an allergic reaction; so try a different, more natural type of toothpaste.
- Avoid Acidic Foods. Citrus fruits, vegetables and vinegar based products are acids and can easily irritate sore of chapped lips so they should be avoided. Be aware that salts will also sting if in contact with an open sore.
What is Cheilitis?
If all else fails
Visit your GP. You may need a prescription for a medicated cream, normally containing 1% hydrocortisone.