Taking Care of Your Lips
When the winter weather arrives, it can be very hard on your lips.
Between the wind, dry heat and cold, everything is coming together to produce the perfect story for your smoocher.
According to Melissa Piliang, MD, a dermatologist, our mouth is typically the least covered part of our body when we go outside in the cold.
She goes on to talk about how the cold weather can impact our lips in a significant way. When we head outside in the cold weather, we take care to cover our body but out lips end up paying the price.
The skin on the lips is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of the body. That is why it needs special care and a little more TLC.
Dr. Piliang talks about how quickly our lips dry compared to the skin on the rest of your face. It dries 10 times faster, and that is why it is so important to protect our lips in the proper way.
These 6 tips for keeping your lips smooth and beautiful will help you to get through the winter weather.
Try to avoid licking your lips – We all tend to lick our lips when they are dry but it could be the worst thing for the skin. When saliva is introduced to the lips, it causes additional drying to the lips. According to Dr. Piliang, saliva contains enzymes that digest foods. Those enzymes can be irritating to the lips.
Choose an ointment-based lip balm – Choosing the proper lip balm is also important. When you use an ointment-based lip balm it keeps your lips moisturized. It also helps to heal splits and cracks. There are options for healing ointments that might include essential oils, petrolatum or glycerin. Sunscreen is also important because the sun can be strong in the winter.
Avoid eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol – When you use a lip balm that contains one of those ingredients, it can dry your lips even more. It causes you to want to use more product and ends up being a vicious circle.
Don’t rub or brush peeling/flaking lips – Dr. Piliang says that you could create cracks or sores on your lips when you pick the peeling skin or rub your teeth across them. Rather than trying to peel or scrape, apply a heavy lip balm that is ointment-based. Doing so will help to heal and soothe the lips.
Treat those cracks – Don’t let the cracks to continue to be a problem. The could get worse or perhaps even become infected. In some cases, they could lead to cold sores.
Apply lip balm at night – We tend to sleep without mouth open and the movement of air across the lips could dry them. Dr. Piliang recommends applying lip balm before bed and sleeping with a humidifier in the room, especially if your home is heated and the air is dry.
If you want extra help with your lips, Dore Aesthetics can be of help, providing a range of different options.