Dry lips are a fairly common problem that affects men and women of any age. This phenomenon is accompanied by an unaesthetic appearance of the lips, which can peel and crack in the corners. Dry lips are accompanied by unpleasant sensations of “tightness,” itching, and even pain—in the most difficult cases, it is even difficult for a person to talk and smile. There is a frequent desire to lick your lips, but this only brings temporary relief and only aggravates the problem. Of course, such lips cannot be called well-groomed and beautiful: they can seriously worsen their appearance even when using cosmetics.
Why do lips dry out?
The main reason why lips dry out most often is a small number of sebaceous glands.
They are only in the corners, so the moisture evaporates very quickly. Also, there are no sweat glands in the skin of the lips, which reduces hydration. In addition, the epidermis in this area is very thin, blood vessels are located close, so the likelihood of damage increases significantly. And the number of receptors makes this area of skin one of the most sensitive in the body.
Home lip care will not have the desired effect if you have the wrong lifestyle. This affects the condition of the entire body, and the skin of the lips is no exception. It is important to drink a lot of water and eat a balanced diet so that the body is saturated with vitamins and microelements: it is not for nothing that vitamin deficiency is one of the common causes of dryness. Lack of protein and fiber also negatively affects the lips, disrupting metabolic processes.
Their condition is also influenced by external factors:
- stress, unstable schedule, sleep problems,
- weather conditions: frost, strong wind, temperature changes,
- dust or dirt,
- age-related changes,
- exposure to ultraviolet radiation: there is no melatonin in the skin of the lips, so they react more strongly to sun exposure, which leads to cracks and dryness,
- bad habits like alcohol or smoking cause dehydration and cause rapid aging,
- Picking or biting dry skin will only injure your lips.
Cosmetics also dry out the skin. Matte lipstick retains its durability due to the minimal amount of fatty components. As a result, the skin does not breathe and feels a lack of moisture. Low-quality cosmetics with aggressive elements can also cause dryness.
Thin lips
Cheiloplasty allows thin lips to regain the missing volume, attractiveness and youthfulness. Despite the fact that cheiloplasty is considered a technically simple operation, when performing it, the surgeon needs a sense of proportion and beauty. The desired effect of cheiloplasty is to give the lips a natural shape and volume, harmoniously combining them with natural facial features.
The decision to choose a cheiloplasty method is determined by the patient’s expectations and the period during which it is necessary to maintain the result. The main methods for correcting thin lips are contouring and surgical plastic surgery.
If it is necessary to carry out serious correction of the volume and shape of the lips, a radical surgical method is resorted to. Surgical plastic surgery can be performed on patients of any age. The technical essence of the operation is as follows: a small area of skin is cut out above or below the lip being corrected, then the contour of the lip is corrected and the edges of the wound are sutured. The postoperative period may occur with minor pain; the postoperative wound heals after 7-10 days and becomes almost invisible.
To correct age-related changes in the lips, the contour plastic method is more suitable. During the aging process, the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, natural polymers that give and maintain elasticity and volume to the skin, decreases. Therefore, over the years, lips lose their elasticity and shape, and the skin around them becomes covered with a network of wrinkles. Contour plastic surgery is an injection technique for enlarging thin lips by introducing biopolymer gels, which include hyaluronic acid, which replaces glycosaminoglycans. Injections are performed under local anesthesia in the area of the middle part of the lips and corners of the mouth. After introducing the composition, lightly massage the lips so that the gel is evenly distributed in the tissues.
As a rule, the lip contouring procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, and if accompanied by additional interventions, it can be performed in specialized hospital departments.
After contouring, swelling and sometimes hemorrhages remain on the lips for some time, since the blood supply to this area is very intense. There is also mild soreness and a feeling of tightness of the skin in the lip area. To speed up swelling and reduce pain, periodic application of ice to the lips is recommended on the first day after injections, and a light massage over the next 2-4 days.
A variant of contouring is lip lipofilling, in which your own adipose tissue is injected into the lips.
The results of lip contouring are noticeable almost immediately after the procedure, but you can finally judge them after two weeks. Sometimes after 1-1.5 months a slight decrease in lip volume may occur due to the absorption of the liquid part from the gel into the tissue. If this leads to a change in the contour of the mouth, additional contouring is performed. The cosmetic effect after contouring of thin lips lasts 6-12 months, then the gel gradually dissolves and the lips return to their natural shape, which requires repeated injections. After lip surgery, the results last almost a lifetime.
With any type of cheiloplasty, the risk of complications is extremely low - less than 1%. In a complicated course, inflammation of the sutures, thickening of the gel, and allergic reactions may occur, which can be successfully eliminated with timely treatment.
How to care for your lips
How to properly care for your lips? First of all, you should treat them as a separate part of the body with its own rules and characteristics. You take care of your hands, feet, face in a certain way - your lips deserve the same.
- Choose creams and balms that can serve as a base for makeup. Then you will definitely remember to use them and protect your skin throughout the day.
- Choose safe skincare products, ideally hypoallergenic and dermatologist-approved.
- Remove makeup from your lips correctly. You cannot do this with soap or plain water: you need to wash off the makeup with a cotton pad using milk or makeup remover. Do this carefully so as not to damage the skin.
- Long-lasting matte lipstick can be removed with a nourishing balm or lotion that can remove waterproof makeup.
- Use lip balm before going outside: it will protect against external factors.
How to care for your lips to keep them moisturized? What product should always be on hand? The ultra-moisturizing Cera lip balm is suitable for this: it is created for sensitive, very dry and irritation-prone skin; does not contain dyes, alcohol, parabens. It contains a complex of ceramides - natural lipids that form a lipid barrier of the skin that retains moisture.
In addition, Cera Balm is dermatologist approved, hypoallergenic and has passed all clinical tests. It restores the protective barrier function of the skin, protects lips from wind, cold, and sun for 24 hours, and also becomes a good base for makeup. Vitamin E in the composition prevents the appearance of cracks and activates regeneration processes. As a result, no discomfort or dryness.
It should be understood that lip care at home differs at different times of the year. This is due to temperature, types of precipitation, humidity and dryness. Therefore, each season has its own recommendations.
Causes of dry lips
Cosmetologists distinguish 4 groups of causes of dry lips: age-related, cosmetic, physiological and climatic. Dry lips, as an age-related phenomenon, is caused by the slow production of collagen by skin cells, a decrease in the amount of moisture and the appearance of wrinkles, which also appear on the lips. The cosmetic causes of the problem are associated with the negative effect of the color pigments of decorative lipstick on the sensitive skin of the lips, and allergic reactions to decorative cosmetics. Sunscreens and oils, various skin care products, and fluoride-containing pastes can also have a negative effect on the skin of the lips, causing irritation. The physiological causes of dryness lie in the general condition of the body. In particular, the appearance of the skin, including on the lips, deteriorates with a lack of vitamins A and E, reduced immunity, the presence of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, a tendency to allergic reactions, and the frequent occurrence of herpes.
Seasonal factors affecting the skin of the lips include long-term exposure to low or high temperatures, as well as sudden temperature changes, for example: long winter walks in the cold, summer heat and excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Even the use of special protective products does not always protect the skin of the lips from the harmful effects of climatic factors.
How to care for your lips in summer
Summer is a time when the skin is regularly exposed to ultraviolet rays. Many people like to get a chocolate tan, not even suspecting that in fact it is an aggressive protection of the skin in response to sun exposure. Therefore, it is better to wear a wide-brimmed hat, be in the shade more often, use sunscreen and use lipstick with a light texture.
Apply lip balm every couple of hours: summer is especially hot, so sweat and constant drinking of refreshing drinks will simply erase the protective product.
When is the best time to see a doctor?
If you are anemic, you may also notice pale lips, so the best place to start is to make sure that your body is not suffering from iron deficiency. The main signs of anemia: chest pain and headache, constant fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, arrhythmia, brittle nails, cracked skin in the corners of the mouth and white lips. It is also important to understand that with a mild degree of the disease, you may not observe the main symptoms - the diagnosis will become known only after blood tests are taken.
View on Instagram
The site may contain links to external resources that we do not administer or control. The privacy practices of other sites are beyond our control. Once you move to other sites, you should find information about their privacy policies before entering your information on them.
Lip care in autumn
How to take care of your lips when it gets colder outside? The problem is that the heating season begins in the fall, so the skin gradually feels dissonance due to differences in street and room temperatures. This stress leads to increased dryness.
It is important to moisturize your lips as often as possible and use special creams and balms. During this period, it is better to avoid matte lipsticks, which dry out the skin too much. Pay attention to cosmetics with vitamins A and E: they will speed up regeneration.
For active exfoliation, it is important to use a scrub
Source: Pexels
Due to its structure and regular reactions to external irritants, the skin of the lips is constantly renewed. Such processes lead to the exfoliation of dead cells and their accumulation on the surface of the skin, which provokes the appearance of peeling. The most effective way to get rid of dead skin is to peel using delicate lip scrubs.
Scrubbing makes lips smooth and soft, improves blood microcirculation and accelerates cell regeneration. The skin becomes more receptive to beneficial substances from care products. Therefore, it is better to use this product before applying the balm. Choose sugar lip scrubs enriched with honey, petroleum jelly, vegetable oils, berry extracts and vitamins.
Lip care in winter
In winter, the temperature difference is felt even more clearly, so it is important to moisturize your skin as often as possible. Caring for your lips in winter also involves proper, balanced nutrition: at this time the body especially lacks vitamins.
If you have a habit of moisturizing dry lips with your tongue, you need to get rid of it. This has a detrimental effect on the skin at any time of the year, but because of the cold, the negative effect is especially pronounced. It’s better to train yourself to lubricate your lips with balm as often as possible.
Why do lips lose pigment over the years?
First, a minute of anatomy: lips consist of two parts - the skin on the outside and the mucous membrane on the inside, which is responsible for their shade. Many vessels and capillaries, visible through the thinnest protective layer, form your natural color. Therefore, each person has a different pigment - it depends on the shape and size of the lips, as well as skin tone.
One thing is constant: over time, any color loses its brightness. This happens due to loss of moisture - dry skin adds dullness to your lips, both externally and internally. This is due to the decline in collagen levels with age: from the age of 20, the loss can be about one percent each year. And sun rays and smoking greatly accelerate the process of destruction of collagen in the skin, and therefore natural pigment.
View on Instagram
What to do
What to do if there is peeling or peeling of the mucous membrane on the inside of the lips? It is necessary to treat such a problem, depending on the cause that caused it. If the provoking factor is a deficiency of vitamin substances, it is recommended to undergo a course of treatment with multivitamin preparations (in particular, vitamin A and C play an important role). It is better for such medications to be prescribed by a doctor, since an excess of vitamin substances is no less harmful to the body than its deficiency.
If the cause is an allergy, it is important to identify the potential irritant. This could be a specific product, cosmetic, or drug. In this case, treatment consists of taking oral or topical antihistamines prescribed by a doctor. Additionally, it is very important to eliminate the allergen from the patient’s life.
In the presence of infectious processes, it is important to carry out timely and competent treatment prescribed by a specialist. If the problem arose under the influence of unfavorable climatic conditions, it is important to properly protect sensitive skin - before going outside, be sure to use a rich cream, hygienic lipstick or balm.
If there are diseases of internal organs, it is important to carry out their timely treatment. After which the unpleasant symptoms will go away on their own. If the mucous membrane suffers from dehydration, it is important to establish a drinking regime - drink at least one and a half liters of clean water during the day (this does not take into account liquid in teas, coffee or liquid dishes).
