Most people get chapped lips from time to time. Lips may become chapped for various reasons, including:
- Exposure to wind, sun, or cold, dry air
- Breathing with an open mouth
- Licking your lips
- Dehydration
- Contact with irritants or allergens in cosmetics or skin-care products
There is much you can do to treat and prevent chapped lips. Consider these tips:
Protect your lips. Use an oil-based lubricating cream or lip balm containing petrolatum or beeswax. Before going out in cold, dry weather, apply lip cream or balm that contains sunscreen — and then cover your lips with a scarf. Reapply often while outdoors.
Avoid licking your lips. Saliva evaporates quickly, leaving lips drier than before you licked them. If you tend to lick your lips, avoid flavored lip balm — which may tempt you to lick your lips even more.
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids, and moisten the air in your home with a humidifier.
If chapping is severe and does not respond to treatment at home, consult a skin specialist. Rarely, persistent chapped lips may indicate an underlying problem.
Source: The Daily Star
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