How to heal badly chapped lips

What should you do today?

1. 1Wash your hands before applying lip balm. Do not share the balm with anyone else.
2. 2Apply white petroleum jelly or another nonirritating lip ointment. For very dry, cracked lips, a thick ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils.
3. 3Reapply whenever your lips feel dry and after eating or drinking. Apply again before bed.
4. 4Before going outdoors, use a nonirritating lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, preferably containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Reapply every two hours outdoors.

Lip balm seals in existing moisture, which is a less glamorous job than the packaging usually suggests. Keep one balm by your bed and another in your bag, so lip care does not depend on remembering where you last abandoned the tube.4

What is the best way to heal chapped lips?

For badly cracked lips, start with plain petroleum jelly rather than a flavored balm. Choose fragrance free, hypoallergenic products. Other helpful balm ingredients include ceramides, dimethicone, mineral oil, castor seed oil and shea butter. Beeswax balms are also used for chapped lips, but a thick ointment is the better starting point when dryness is severe.15

While your lips are chapped, avoid camphor, eucalyptus, menthol, fragrance, lanolin and salicylic acid in lip products. Cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint flavorings can also irritate cracked lips. Stop any balm, lipstick or other lip product that burns, stings or tingles: discomfort means irritation, not that a treatment is working.13

How can you heal chapped lips fast?

Start treating dryness as soon as you notice it. Licking briefly wets your lips, but saliva leaves them drier as it evaporates. Picking or biting flakes creates more irritation and can slow healing. Leave peeling skin alone and apply ointment instead. Keep pens, jewelry and other metal objects away from your lips.1234

Cover your lips with a scarf in cold, windy weather. Run a humidifier if the air at home is dry; a bedroom humidifier is especially useful if you breathe through your mouth at night. Drink enough water to avoid dehydration. These measures help limit further drying while the ointment protects your lips.12

Severely chapped lips can sting when you eat citrus fruit or salty or spicy foods. Avoid foods that sting while your lips heal. If your mouth is sore too, choose soft, cool foods and let hot food and drinks cool before eating. Keep eating and drinking as well as you can.36

How long do chapped lips take to heal?

Regular balm use 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. Once your lips recover, continue using balm in dry conditions to help prevent another episode.134

How do you heal severely chapped lips?

Cracks that bleed can be treated with an ointment intended for lips. Get medical advice if bleeding is frequent, treatment is not helping, sores will not heal or symptoms worsen. See a GP if your lips become hot, painful and swollen, which can indicate infection. A pharmacist can help you choose a treatment and decide whether you need a GP.235

Persistent lip inflammation, called cheilitis, is not always ordinary dryness. Allergies, infections, nutritional deficiencies and medicines such as retinoids can cause it. Treatment depends on the cause, so arrange an assessment if careful lip care has not helped within two to three weeks.137