How to care for chapped lips

Why do lips get chapped?

Lip skin is thinner and more sensitive than skin elsewhere, and lips have no oil glands. Cold weather, dry air, wind, sun exposure and dehydration can leave them dry, tight, flaky or cracked. Chapping can happen in any season, not just winter. Cheilitis is the medical term for inflamed lips.234

A protective balm helps hold existing moisture in your lips by forming a seal that limits water loss. The useful part is the protective coating, not how many dessert names fit on the packaging.5

How should you care for your lips each day?

1. 1Wash your hands before applying lip balm, especially if you use your fingers.
2. 2Apply a gentle balm or ointment when you wake up. Reapply whenever your lips feel dry and after eating or drinking.
3. 3Before going outdoors, apply a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. Reapply about every two hours while outside, including in winter.
4. 4Before bed, apply your balm or ointment again. For very dry, cracked lips, choose a thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly.

Keep a balm by your bed and another in your bag or pocket so you can use it when needed. Keeping balm within reach makes regular use easier, which is a better job for your bedside table than displaying an unopened lip collection. Do not share lip balms with other people because sharing can spread germs.35

Which lip balm should you choose?

Choose a fragrance free, hypoallergenic product. Helpful ingredients include petrolatum, mineral oil, castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone and shea butter. For very dry lips, white petroleum jelly is a useful option because ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils. For outdoor protection, look for SPF 30 or higher with zinc oxide or titanium oxide.1

Beeswax balms are another option for sore or dry lips, but a balm that suits one person can irritate another. Fragrances, dyes and other cosmetic ingredients can cause sensitivity. If a balm is not helping, try a different formula rather than repeatedly applying the same unsuitable product.36

What should you avoid while lips heal?

• Avoid lip products containing camphor, eucalyptus, menthol, fragrance or lanolin.
• Avoid cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint flavorings, which can irritate chapped lips.
• Avoid salicylic acid, phenol or phenyl, propyl gallate, octinoxate and oxybenzone in lip products while your lips are chapped.
• Stop using any lip balm, lipstick or other lip product that burns, stings, tingles or feels uncomfortable.

Burning or tingling is irritation, not a sign that a lip product is working. Apply the same rule to lipstick and other products touching your lips, not just the balm you use to treat them.1

Does licking or removing flakes help?

Licking makes lips drier as saliva evaporates, and saliva contains enzymes that can irritate them. Biting or picking off peeling skin can create cracks and sores and slow healing. Leave the flakes alone and apply a soothing ointment instead. Avoid holding pens, jewelry or other metal objects between your lips because they can irritate already sensitive skin.25

What helps besides lip balm?

Cover your lips with a scarf outdoors in cold weather to reduce exposure to cold air and wind. Drink enough water to avoid dehydration. Dry air speeds moisture loss, so running a humidifier at home can help. A bedroom humidifier is especially useful if you breathe through your mouth at night. Avoid excessive sun exposure as well as using sunscreen on your lips.1356

How do you care for severely chapped lips?

Use a thick, gentle ointment for very dry, cracked lips and keep applying it throughout the day and at bedtime. Cracks can split into cuts and bleed. An ointment designed for lips can help, but frequent bleeding that does not improve with home care needs a healthcare assessment. Severely chapped lips can sting when you eat citrus fruit or spicy and salty foods.2

How long do chapped lips take to heal?

Regular balm use should ease discomfort while your lips heal. Expect noticeable improvement within two to three weeks; severe cracking and bleeding can take that long to recover fully. Start care when you first notice tightness or stinging rather than waiting for deeper cracks. Continue using balm in dry conditions after your lips improve to help prevent another episode.15

What if you take isotretinoin?

Chapped lips are common while taking isotretinoin, a prescription acne medicine. The dryness clears once isotretinoin treatment ends. Medication related lip inflammation is one reason persistent chapping needs more than a change of balm.7

When should you get medical help?

• See a doctor if your lips are hot, painful and swollen, which could indicate infection.
• Arrange an assessment if your lips worsen or do not improve after two to three weeks of home care.
• Get sores that will not heal checked rather than continuing to treat them as ordinary chapping.
• Ask a pharmacist for help choosing a treatment or deciding whether you need to see a doctor.

Persistent lip inflammation can come from an allergy, infection, medication or nutritional deficiency, and treatment depends on the cause. A clinician can examine your lips and review your symptoms and history; an infection swab or biopsy is sometimes needed. Persistent dry, scaly lips can also be actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition linked to sun exposure, so do not dismiss a patch that refuses to heal.124