How to deal with chapped lips

Why are your lips chapped?

Lips have thinner, more sensitive skin than the rest of your body and no oil glands. Cold weather, hot or dry air, wind, sun exposure, dehydration and frequent lip licking can leave them dry, tight, cracked or peeling. Chapping can happen in any season, not just winter. Children who frequently lick their lips can also develop a rash around the mouth.2

A protective balm creates a seal that keeps moisture from escaping. Ointments can also help skin cracks heal. A lip balm's useful job is keeping moisture in, not giving your mouth a new personality. Start caring for your lips when you first notice tightness or dryness rather than waiting for cracks to develop.3

How to care for chapped lips each day

1. 1Wash your hands before applying lip balm. Do not share your balm with anyone else, because sharing can spread germs.
2. 2Apply a nonirritating balm when you wake up and whenever your lips feel dry during the day. Reapply after eating and drinking.
3. 3Before going outdoors, apply lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. Reapply about every 2 hours while outside, including in winter.
4. 4Before bed, apply balm or ointment again. For very dry, cracked lips, choose a thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly, which seals in water longer than waxes or oils.

Keep balm somewhere convenient, such as beside your bed or in your bag. The balm can stay within reach, rather than becoming another useful thing you remember only after leaving home.3

Which lip balm should you choose?

Choose a simple petroleum based product rather than choosing by flavor, tint or a tingling sensation. Plain white petroleum jelly is an option for cracked lips; an SPF lip balm is the choice for outdoor protection.5

Look for fragrance free, hypoallergenic lip products containing ingredients such as petrolatum, mineral oil, castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone or shea butter. You do not need every ingredient in one tube. For sun protection on chapped lips, choose SPF 30 or higher with zinc oxide or titanium oxide.1

While your lips are chapped, avoid lip products containing:

• Fragrance or flavoring, especially cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint.
• Camphor, eucalyptus, menthol, phenol or salicylic acid.
• Lanolin or propyl gallate.
• Octinoxate or oxybenzone.

Stop using any lip product that burns, stings, tingles or feels uncomfortable. Those sensations indicate irritation, not that the product is working. This applies to lipstick and other products touching your lips, not just balm. If one balm is not helping, try a different gentle formula; some people are sensitive to fragrances, dyes or cosmetic ingredients.14

Should you scrub or peel off the flakes?

Skip lip scrubs, polishes and manual exfoliation while your lips heal. Scrubbing strips away the protective outer layer and worsens dryness. Do not bite or pull off peeling skin either: it protects the new skin underneath while that skin prepares for exposure to air and irritants. Removing it early can cause irritation and infection. Let loose skin come away on its own.5

Licking offers only brief wetness. As saliva evaporates, your lips become drier, and saliva's digestive enzymes can irritate them. When you catch yourself licking, apply a nonirritating balm instead. Avoid holding pens, paperclips or jewelry between your lips, because these objects can irritate already sensitive skin.13

What helps besides lip balm?

Cover your lips with a scarf outside in cold weather. A scarf protects your lips from cold wind, which is a reasonable extra assignment for something already wrapped around your face. Avoid excessive sun exposure and protect your lips before going into dry, cold or windy conditions.46

Drink water throughout the day to avoid dehydration. Dry air also makes moisture evaporate more quickly from your lips, so running a humidifier at home can help limit water loss. A bedroom humidifier is especially useful if you breathe through your mouth at night. Continue using balm when the air is dry indoors or outside, even after your lips improve.13

Spicy foods can irritate peeling or cracked lips, so avoid them while your lips are sore. Citrus and salty foods can also sting severely chapped lips. If dryness keeps returning, consider whether toothpaste is involved: an allergy to one of its ingredients can cause cheilitis, meaning inflammation of the lips.25

How long do chapped lips take to heal?

Regular balm use should ease discomfort while the skin heals. Expect noticeable improvement within 2 to 3 weeks; severely cracked or bleeding lips can take that long to recover fully. Apply an ointment intended for lips if cracks are bleeding. Seek medical care if bleeding happens repeatedly and home treatment does not help, or if your lips worsen during treatment.23

When should you get medical help?

See a doctor if your lips are hot, painful and swollen, because these can be signs of infection. Get a sore that will not heal checked rather than repeatedly covering it with balm. A small fluid filled blister, especially after tingling, burning or itching, could be a cold sore rather than ordinary chapping. A pharmacist can help you choose treatment and decide whether you need a doctor.46

If careful home treatment has not improved your lips after 2 to 3 weeks, see a dermatologist. Persistent dryness can come from an allergic reaction, infection or actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition that makes lips dry and scaly. Persistent chapping needs its cause identified, not simply more frequent balm application.1

Medicines, including isotretinoin and acitretin, can also cause inflamed lips. Iron or vitamin B deficiency is another possible cause. Tell your clinician about your medicines and lip products. Assessment usually involves your history and an examination; swabs for infection or a biopsy are sometimes needed. Treatment depends on the cause, although soothing lip balms and sunscreen are usually part of care.7