How to describe chapped lips

Which words describe chapped lips best?

Choose the words that match what you actually notice:

• Dry or tight describes how the lips feel, even before obvious cracks appear.
• Flaky, scaly or peeling describes loose skin on the surface.
• Cracked or split describes breaks in the skin. Deep cracks can bleed.
• Sore, itchy or stinging describes the discomfort. Severely chapped lips can sting with citrus fruit or salty and spicy foods.

For a short description, "dry, flaky lips" is enough if that is all you notice. For painful chapping, try "cracked, sore lips that sting when I eat." If the cracks bleed, say so rather than calling them merely dry. Describe the visible changes and the discomfort separately, because "peeling and sore" tells someone more than "a complete disaster."1

What is the medical term for chapped lips?

Cheilitis means inflammation of the lips. It is a broader term than ordinary weather related chapping: lip inflammation can also come from allergies, infection, injury, medications or nutritional deficiencies. You can describe the symptoms without choosing a diagnosis. A clinician uses your history and an examination to work out the cause, and treatment depends on that cause.2

What details should you mention?

When asking a pharmacist or clinician for help, mention when the problem started, whether it keeps returning, what you apply to your lips and what you have tried. Include exposure to cold, wind, dry air or sun, frequent lip licking, and any medication you take. These details help distinguish ordinary dryness from other causes. Chapped lips can happen in any season, so winter does not have exclusive rights to the problem.1

How do you care for chapped lips?

1. 1Wash your hands before applying balm. Use a plain balm containing petroleum jelly, or a thick white petroleum jelly ointment for very dry, cracked lips.
2. 2Apply several times during the day and before bed. Reapply after eating and drinking. Balms help keep moisture from escaping, while a thick ointment seals in water longer.
3. 3Before going outdoors, apply a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, preferably containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Reapply every two hours outdoors.
4. 4Stop using a lip product if it burns, stings or feels uncomfortable. While your lips are chapped, avoid fragrance, flavoring, menthol, camphor and eucalyptus.
5. 5Avoid licking, biting or picking loose skin. Saliva evaporation makes lips drier, and picking can interfere with healing.
6. 6Drink enough water to avoid dehydration, cover your lips with a scarf in cold weather, and consider a humidifier if the air at home is dry.

If soreness also makes eating uncomfortable, choose soft, moist foods and let hot food and drinks cool before eating. Avoid salty, spicy or sharp foods that sting. Lip balm can help with chapped lips, but difficulty swallowing food, drinks or medicines needs advice from a GP, pharmacist or dentist.7

When does it need medical attention?

Expect noticeable improvement within two to three weeks of consistent care. See a clinician if your lips worsen, do not improve during that time, bleed frequently despite care, or develop sores that will not heal. Hot, painful and swollen lips can indicate infection and need GP assessment. A small blister filled with fluid, especially after tingling, burning or itching, could be a cold sore rather than ordinary chapping.1346