Chapped lips and peeling skin: what helps?

Why are your lips dry and peeling?

The visible coloured part of your lips is called the vermilion. Unlike the skin between your mouth and nose, it has no sweat or oil glands. The skin around your mouth and the lip surface are different areas, so they do not necessarily need the same products. Cold or dry weather, sun exposure, dehydration and repeated licking can cause chapping. Dryness can bring tightness, scaling, itching, cracks and mild pain. Cheilitis means inflammation of the lips; the name describes the problem, not its cause.345

How to care for chapped lips

1. 1Apply a nonirritating balm when you wake up. For very dry, cracked lips, use a thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly.
2. 2Reapply throughout the day whenever your lips feel dry, and after eating or drinking.
3. 3Before going outdoors, apply a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. For chapped lips, choose sun protection containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Reapply every two hours outdoors.
4. 4Use balm instead of licking your lips when they feel dry. Leave peeling skin alone rather than biting or pulling it off.
5. 5Apply lip ointment before bed to help keep your lips hydrated overnight.

Which lip balm should you choose?

Choose a fragrance free, hypoallergenic product that feels comfortable on application. Helpful ingredients include petrolatum, mineral oil, dimethicone, ceramides, castor seed oil and shea butter. You do not need every ingredient in one tube. Thick ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils, making white petroleum jelly a useful option for very dry lips. A balm's useful job is keeping moisture from escaping, not giving dryness a more interesting flavour. Keep balm beside your bed and another in your bag so it is within reach, rather than available only in theory.16

While lips are chapped, avoid camphor, eucalyptus, menthol, fragrance and flavourings, especially cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint. Also avoid lanolin, phenol, propyl gallate, salicylic acid, octinoxate and oxybenzone in lip products. Burning, stinging or tingling means irritation, not that a product is working. Stop using the product that causes it. Lipstick and other lip cosmetics need to be nonirritating too.1

What else helps lips heal?

Saliva makes lips dry out faster, and its digestive enzymes can irritate them. Picking or gnawing at flakes can create cracks and sores instead of smoothing the surface. Avoid holding pens, jewellery or metal objects between your lips. Cover your mouth with a scarf in cold, windy weather. Drink enough water through the day, because dehydration can leave lips less hydrated. A humidifier adds moisture to dry indoor air and helps limit water loss. A bedroom humidifier can be especially helpful if you breathe through your mouth at night.136

What if the skin around your lips is peeling too?

For peeling caused by dryness, use gentle, fragrance free skincare. "Unscented" is not the same: a product can contain ingredients that hide other odours and irritate dry, sensitive skin. Choose a cream or ointment rather than a lotion, because creams and ointments add more moisture. Apply several times a day, including while skin is still damp after washing and whenever it feels dry. Gently massage the moisturizer into the skin. Petroleum jelly or lip balm belongs on dry lips; the surrounding skin can use a suitable cream or ointment.2

• Keep baths and showers to five to ten minutes with warm water. Pat dry gently rather than rubbing.
• Use only enough gentle cleanser to remove dirt and oil, without a thick lather.
• Stop skincare containing fragrance, alcohol or retinoids while addressing dry skin. Hand sanitizer is the exception to the alcohol advice.
• Protect exposed skin with broad spectrum, water resistant SPF 30 or higher, shade and protective clothing.
• Clean a humidifier regularly to prevent mould. For peeling dry hands, moisturize after washing and wear gloves for wet work.
• Ask a dermatologist before using itch relief creams. Report burning, stinging or irritation from moisturizer.

How long should healing take?

Regular balm application should ease discomfort while the skin heals. Expect noticeable improvement within two to three weeks; severely cracked or bleeding lips can take that long to recover fully. Starting care at the first tightness or stinging helps avoid a more prolonged episode. Small bleeding cracks can be treated with an ointment intended for lips, but frequent bleeding that does not respond to home care needs assessment. Citrus, spicy and salty foods can sting severely chapped lips.136

When is peeling more than ordinary dryness?

See a dermatologist if lip care does not bring improvement within two to three weeks, or if symptoms worsen. Allergic reactions, infections and eczema can cause inflamed lips. Persistent dry, scaly lips can also be actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition associated with sun exposure. Treatment depends on the cause, so adding more balm is not always enough. A clinician can examine your lips, review possible triggers and take a swab or biopsy when needed. Isotretinoin and acitretin are among the medicines associated with cheilitis; tell your prescriber about lip symptoms during treatment.15

Could a nutrient deficiency cause peeling lips?

Iron or vitamin B deficiency can cause cheilitis. Low zinc can also cause cracked, dry, peeling lips, but there is no single clear sign of zinc deficiency. Other symptoms include reduced taste or smell, slow wound healing, hair loss, mouth ulcers and rough skin. Peeling lips alone are not enough to identify a deficiency. Zinc is found in seafood, meat, dairy, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Do not start high dose zinc as a lip remedy: excess zinc can cause stomach and kidney problems and deplete copper. Take a high dose only when a doctor directs it, for the prescribed duration, and attend the follow up blood tests.57