Chapped lips

introduction

The skin of the lips is particularly at risk of drying out because, unlike the rest of the skin on the body, it has no sweat and sebum glands that can form a protective film rich in fat. This protective film normally keeps the skin supple and protects it from pathogens. Since this protective film is missing on the lips, the lips dry out faster. Brittle or dry lips can become cracked, bleed and thus form an entry point for bacteria and viruses.

causes

There are many reasons for chapped lips. The most common cause is inadequate hydration over a long period of time. If the recommended drinking amount of 2-3 liters If it is permanently below this, the total fluid content in the human body is reduced. In this context it comes to Changes in metabolic processes in the body. The is also subject to these changes Saliva productionwhich is throttled in times of little fluid intake. As a result, the saliva can no longer moisten the lips sufficiently and so they become brittle and cracked. A rarer cause of chapped lips is a lack of the Vitamin B2 (caused by excessive alcohol consumption) and Iron deficiency.

Read more here too Consequences of iron deficiency.

Another common factor that can lead to chapped lips is climate. Especially cold, dry air if the lips dry out quickly, they are not adequately protected. Of course, excessive sun exposure can dry out your lips and even make them a painful one sunburn to lead.

Chapped lips can also go through psychological causes which reduce the production of saliva and the lips no longer sufficient with moisture are supplied. Saliva production is particularly reduced in stressful situations, under tension before exams and private and professional stress.

Often, dry lips are also caused by infections, such as the Herpes virus evoked. Of the Cold sore forms small vesicles that are often very painful.

bacteria and Fungal infections are rather seldom responsible for chapped lips.

Since the lips can be stressed Wound healing run a little slower compared to other areas and the wounds can tear open several times. If the wounds heal poorly or not at all, it is possible that the patient is suffering from a wound healing disorder. These wound healing disorders occur, for example, in the context of a Diabetes mellitus and sometimes go hand in hand with chapped lips.

Also Lip care productswhich, according to the manufacturer's recommendation, have to be used several times a day through habituation lead to dry lips. This habit occurs when the care products have been used over a longer period of time and makes it necessary to use the product more and more frequently. If you stop using these cosmetics you will get chapped lips. The cause of this mechanism is not yet fully understood. A similar effect occurs when you constantly use the lips tongue and the saliva moisturizes. This behavior removes even more moisture from the lips and dries them out.

A chemotherapy can also be the cause of chapped lips. The principle of action of chemotherapy is stop rapidly dividing cells from growing and so that Inhibit tumor growth. Since there are also rapidly dividing cells in the body that do not Cancer cells there are pronounced side effects. These naturally occurring, rapidly dividing cells also include the cells in the mouth and lips. This is why inflammation of the mouth and chapped lips occur after chemotherapy. Similar processes can also be noticed after radiation, depending on how close the lips are to the radiation field.

Chapped lips and herpes

There are a number of reasons for the development of chapped lips.
In particular, infections with the so-called herpes simplex virus are among the most common causes of attacked, chapped lips.
With the term "Herpes“Known disease is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus.

The viruses that cause this disease belong to two different species. Once the herpes simplex virus 1 (short: HSV 1) and the herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2).

Both virus species show only minor differences in their symptom manifestations and disease localizations.
As a rule, the symptoms typical of a herpes infection are particularly evident in the area of ​​the lips (Synonym: Cold sores).

Affected patients typically have small, burning and / or itchy blisters.
In addition, chapped lips are one of the most common complaints that occur in connection with a herpes infection.

Read more at: Duration of cold sores

diagnosis

Very rarely does a patient see a doctor because of chapped lips, as the lips often heal on their own. If this is not the case, however, a doctor will be consulted. In the case of dry lips, it is usually one Eye diagnosis. Due to the different types of dehydration and lesions, the doctor can make assumptions about the cause and further clarify it by talking to the patient.

therapy

Treatment of chapped lips depends on the cause. In case of infection with the herpes virus there are special ointments or medicines (Acyclovir), which are supposed to promote healing. In most cases, however, it is sufficient to increase the amount of fluids, change your eating habits or add the missing vitamins

Home remedies for chapped lips

Since numerous care products in the cosmetics industry lead to habituation, it is advisable to use simple home remedies for chapped lips.

There are actually some creams that can treat chapped lips high fat content prevent. These include vaseline, Milking fat or ointments Marigolds. The use of these creams is especially helpful in winter when the air is dry and cold. If you use lip balm you should make sure that they are of high quality. Often, care products made from natural products are suitable olive oil, Jojoba or Seasam oil or products from the pharmacy that do not induce any habituation effect. On the ingredients Fighter or phenol should be avoided, as this will further dry out the lips.

In addition, it is important to have lip balm sticks for children no flavorings included, because licking the lips in this context would dry out the chapped lips even more.

In conclusion, you should in summer lip care products with sun protection factor use to prevent sunburn.

In addition to external care, you can also influence the causes of chapped lips. If the dry lips occur, for example, due to excessively dry indoor air in winter, a humidifier To remedy the situation. The humidity can also be increased simply by placing wet towels over the heater.

If the lips have become chapped despite the precautions, one is best Ointment (Bepanthen) to heal the lips again. Cocoa butter or olive oil also improve chapped lips. The ingredients in olive oil are particularly helpful, as they have a moisturizing effect and at the same time help the skin to store moisture and to close cracked areas.

On the basis of olive oil, sugar can also be used Peels for the lips that remove dry flakes of skin with gentle massages. It has a similar effect if you gently rub your lips with a toothbrush. Apart from the Removal of the dead skin The Peeilng also serves to increase the blood supply to the lips again, which promotes the healing process.

Another cure for chapped lips is this honeythat can speed healing of even small lesions. The honey is applied daily and washed off again after a short exposure time. It is important that the honey is not licked off with the tongue, as the saliva removes moisture from the lips again. A mask for the lips can be made with honey and quark, which softens the lips after 10 minutes.

Other home remedies are beeswax and shortening, which are particularly suitable when it's cold.

What else can you do about chapped lips?

Especially in the cold seasons, many people are plagued by chapped lips.
Since this can be very stressful in particularly pronounced cases, many are wondering what can be done against chapped lips.

Consistent prevention is best.
In this context, fresh honey in particular can help prevent painful lip changes.

People who often suffer from chapped lips should therefore mix a paste of curd and honey and apply it regularly to the lips.

Even with a short exposure time of around ten minutes, the lips can absorb sufficient liquid and appear much smoother.
In addition, existing Scraps of skin be removed at regular intervals with a toothbrush.
In this way, the damaged lips can regenerate faster.

Another measure that can help prevent chapped lips is using a mixture of sugar and olive oil.

Immediately after preparation, the mixture can be carefully applied to the lips with a soft toothbrush and lightly brushed in. The effect of this home remedy is primarily based on moistening the surface of the lips.
In addition, applying it with a soft toothbrush ensures that the Increased blood flow becomes. In addition, people who are wondering what to do about chapped and / or chapped lips can use milk fat or Bepanthen- Use ointment.
Both substances ensure optimal moisture supply and protection of the delicate skin on the lips. Special care sticks can also help treat chapped or chapped lips.

In this context, however, it is important to note that conventional lip balm sticks generally do not have any effect. Often the complaints described by the affected people even increase with the use of conventional lip balm sticks.

For this reason, when choosing a suitable care stick for chapped lips, preference should be given to products made from natural Wax, jojoba, olive oil or sesame seeds be grasped.

Lip balm sticks that contain one or more of these active ingredients can help protect the damaged lip surface from external stimuli.
In this way, the healing process is positively influenced and the symptoms are effectively alleviated. The use of Paraffin-containing products should absolutely be avoided with chapped lips.
In some cases, however, these home remedies for chapped lips have no effect either.

The people affected then often wonder what else can be done about chapped lips.
Since changes in the surface of the lips also have internal causes, for example a pronounced one Vitamin deficiency can be the cause, the substitution of vitamins can be helpful.

In this context, especially the intake of Vitamin B2 (Synonym: riboflavin) of vital importance.
Important vitamin B2 suppliers are among others Dairy products, avocado, broccoli and meat.

Honey against chapped lips

In most cases, chapped lips can be treated with simple home remedies.
Regular use of fresh honey, in particular, can help effectively treat chapped lips.

For this reason, people who repeatedly suffer from chapped lips, especially in the cold seasons, should have one Paste made from cottage cheese and honey Mix.

This method is felt to be particularly symptom-relieving if the honey-quark paste is stored in the refrigerator before application.
Ideally, the paste should be spread over chapped lips with a soft toothbrush. In this way, dead skin cells can be loosened and the surface of the lips made more receptive.

After a short exposure time of only ten minutes the affected lips can absorb sufficient liquid. The surface of the lips appears significantly smoother after using the quark and honey paste.

In addition, the honey can be spread on the lips in a thin layer about once or twice a day. When using honey or honey quark pastes in the treatment of chapped lips, however, it is essential to ensure that the lips are treated with something immediately after the exposure time lukewarm water need to be wiped off.

This prevents the lip surface, which is covered with honey, from being unconsciously licked with the tongue. This would lead to the damaged, brittle lips coming into contact with saliva, which promotes their drying out.