How to get rid of chapped lips

What causes chapped lips?

Chapped lips are dry, cracked or peeling skin on the lips. Cheilitis means inflammation of the lips. Lip skin is thinner and more sensitive than skin elsewhere and has no oil glands, so it is particularly vulnerable to drying out. Cold weather, hot dry weather, wind, sun exposure and dehydration are common triggers. Lip injuries and allergies can also cause soreness and dryness.12

Licking gives lips a brief wet feeling but leaves them drier as saliva evaporates. Saliva also contains digestive enzymes that can irritate lip skin. Children and teenagers who frequently lick their lips can develop a rash around the mouth as well as chapping.13

How do you heal chapped lips fast?

1. 1Wash your hands before applying lip balm. Start treating dryness when you first notice tightness or discomfort rather than waiting for deep cracks.
2. 2Apply a plain lip balm or ointment when you wake up and whenever your lips feel dry. Reapply after eating and drinking.
3. 3Before going outside, apply a non irritating lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. Reapply about every two hours outdoors, including in winter.
4. 4Apply ointment before bed. A thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly is especially useful for very dry, cracked lips because it seals in water longer than waxes or oils.
5. 5Replace lip licking with applying balm, and leave peeling skin alone. Keep using lip protection in dry conditions after your lips recover.

Regular balm use should ease discomfort while the skin heals, but there is no need to expect overnight repair. Recovery commonly takes two to three weeks, and severely chapped lips can take longer. Starting care early helps lips heal faster and reduces the chance of complications such as infection.1

What should you put on chapped lips?

Plain petroleum jelly is a straightforward starting point. Lip balm helps keep existing moisture from escaping, which is a less glamorous job than the packaging tends to suggest. Ointment based products containing petrolatum, glycerin or mineral oil help maintain moisture and heal cracks. Choose fragrance free products labelled hypoallergenic.3

Other useful balm ingredients include ceramides, dimethicone, castor seed oil and shea butter. For sun protection, look for zinc oxide or titanium oxide with SPF 30 or higher. While lips are chapped, avoid menthol, camphor, eucalyptus, fragrance, lanolin and salicylic acid. Cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint flavourings can also irritate damaged lips.14

Stop using any lip product that burns, stings, tingles or feels uncomfortable. Those sensations mean irritation, not that the product is working. Sensitivity to fragrances, dyes or other cosmetic ingredients can make one balm unsuitable even when another works better. Do not share lip balms, because sharing can spread germs.24

Beeswax balms are another option for soothing sore lips. For very cracked lips, choose a thick petroleum jelly ointment instead: the practical difference is how long the coating holds water in.45

What else helps lips stay moisturised?

Drink enough water to avoid dehydration, and use a humidifier if the air at home is dry. Dry air makes moisture evaporate faster from lip skin. A bedroom humidifier is particularly helpful if you breathe through your mouth at night. Cover your lips with a scarf in cold weather to limit exposure to cold air and wind.234

Keep a balm by your bed and another in your bag, so the plan does not depend on remembering where the one balm went. Avoid holding pens, jewellery or metal objects between your lips, which can irritate them.13

How do you exfoliate chapped lips?

While lips are chapped, leave peeling skin alone rather than trying to remove it. Picking or biting flakes can create cracks and sores and slow healing. Apply an ointment based balm instead. The useful job here is keeping moisture in, not giving every visible flake an eviction notice.23

Why are my lips always dry?

Repeated exposure to dry air, habitual licking or a lip product that irritates you can keep the problem going. Persistent dryness can also reflect eczema, an allergy, a medication reaction or an underlying medical condition. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are possible causes, but dryness alone does not identify a deficiency.12

Chapped lips are common during treatment with isotretinoin, a prescription acne medicine. Use petroleum jelly throughout the day and before bed indoors, and SPF 30 or higher lip balm outdoors. Dryness clears after isotretinoin treatment stops.6

What if the corners of your mouth are cracked?

Painful cracks concentrated at the mouth corners can be angular cheilitis, inflammation of those corners rather than ordinary dryness across the lips. Prolonged contact with saliva commonly causes it, and licking makes it worse. The corners can also ooze, crust or bleed, with pain when you open your mouth. Frequently applied thick ointment is often enough when saliva is the cause.7

Recurring corner cracks deserve assessment, particularly with poorly fitting dentures, oral thrush or other risk factors. Treatment depends on the cause and can include an antifungal, antibiotic or anti inflammatory ointment chosen by a clinician. Angular cheilitis usually improves within the first few days of treatment and resolves by about two weeks, although recurrence is common.7

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 assessed if lips worsen or do not improve after two to three weeks of home care.
• Seek care for sores that do not heal, or frequent bleeding that does not respond to ointment.
• A small fluid filled blister, especially after tingling, burning or itching, could be a cold sore rather than chapping.

Persistent dry, scaly lips can sometimes be actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition. A dermatologist can distinguish ordinary chapping from an allergy, infection or another cause. A pharmacist can help you choose a suitable balm and advise whether you need a doctor.24