Why lip balm could be making your lips worse (and the solution)
Summer is almost here, and though we're delighted to see the return of long, sunny days and balmy evenings, one thing we're less excited about is chapped lips.
Dry, painful lips are unfortunately often part of the package this time of year. Hot weather spells dehydration, which shows up in your lips, drying air conditioning is on full blast, and just like the rest of the skin on your body, your lips are vulnerable to sunburn. Thankfully, we have the solutions to keep your lips looking just how you like them.
Ana Carolina Goncalves, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmica.co.uk, explains that dry, chapped lips often sneak up on you despite your best efforts – and that’s because their very biology is stacked against you. ‘The lips are unusual because they don’t contain sebaceous glands like the rest of the body’s skin, so they are incapable of producing sebum (oil) to moisturise their outer layers.
‘This can cause us to salivate and lick them to keep them moisturised, but the saliva evaporates quickly and can take any remaining oils with it.’
We all want our lips to feel soft and silky-smooth all year round, but it can be difficult to know where we’re going wrong. We asked the experts, and they delivered – from medical expertise on the common causes of dry lips, to beauty tips from the pros on how to care for your lips long-term.
Plus, experienced healthcare professionals offer their advice on times when your chapped lips could be a sign of something more serious. Here’s what you need to know.
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Catching the culprits for your dry lips
Dr Benjamin Chun-Man Lee is a Consultant Dermatologist at Apex Skin Clinic in Berkshire Grove Hospital. He explains that factors from our external environment are the most common cause of chapped, unhappy lips. Along with the lack of oil glands to maintain moisture, our lips contain very little melanin, making them extra susceptible to damage from the elements.
‘Whilst the inside surface of our lips has lubricating glands to keep it moist, the outer surface of our lips is frequently exposed to changes of climate and temperature, resulting in structural breakdown,’ he says.
When this damage occurs, the temptation is to lick our lips and provide some momentary moisture – but just like Ana Carolina, Dr Benjamin advises against this. ‘Once our lips become dry, chapped or bleeding, we often lick our lips as a compensatory measure to replenish moisture. This may help the symptoms temporarily, but as a chronic habit, application of saliva causes irritation and inflammation.’
This is because saliva contains digestive enzymes, designed to break down food proteins in our mouth. Frequently licking our lips overexposes our skin barrier to these enzymes and can have profoundly damaging effects.
Ana Carolina explains why winter months are also particularly unkind to our lips. ‘Cold, dry air has low humidity, which increases the natural evaporation of water from our skin and can therefore cause dehydration of the lips. Exposure to this type of air draws out moisture, leaving lips dry, cracked or damaged.’
Colds and flus or seasonal allergies may also have a part to play. Ana Carolina adds, ‘The lips also tend to get drier when we’re sick, because if the nose is congested, we tend to breathe through our mouth. This causes more air to circulate around the lips, which causes drying.’
Cause for concern?
If you have chronically dry lips that don’t improve with treatment, this could be a symptom of an underlying health issue – so it’s important to understand the potential signs.
‘There are a few conditions which are associated with dry or chapped lips,’ explains Ana Carolina. ‘If you have an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), it’s likely that your hormonal makeup means you will produce less moisture, including around the lips.’
If you’re presenting with other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, such as anxiety, excessive weight loss, heat intolerance and an irregular heartbeat, it could be worth getting checked out by your GP.
‘More commonly, people who experience frequent dry lips may have a vitamin deficiency. B vitamins, for example, are used by the body to repair and renew its skin cells, so not getting enough of these leaves us vulnerable to dryness, cracking and inflammation. Iron deficiency is another possible cause, as iron is needed to produce haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen throughout the body, including to the lips. Without enough iron, the lips may heal poorly and become more prone to damage. If you are looking for a reliable dietary supplement to help prevent lip dryness, I would recommend OneVit B Complex, which provides support for the skin alongside contributing to heart, brain and nerve health.’
She warns that if your chapped lips have dry, discoloured patches, this could be a sign of something more serious. ‘Excessive sun exposure can sometimes cause a chronic, precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis. It should always be assessed by a medical professional, as without treatment, it may develop into lip cancer.’
Dr Benjamin adds that excessively dry lips could be a symptom of an autoimmune condition. For example, he explains that Sjogren's Syndrome is an autoimmune disease which causes your immune system to mistakenly attack the lubricating glands in cavities and mucosal surfaces, causing severely dry eyes and a dry mouth.
How to look after your lips
Dr Sasha Dhoat, a consultant dermatologist at The Harley Street Dermatology Clinic, says that some lip balms out there may do more harm than good. ‘Avoid products with fragrances and flavours because they can cause hypersensitivity reactions, manifesting as redness, peeling and cracking,’ she advises.
She also warns to steer clear of certain ingredients when shopping for your lip products. ‘Balms containing ingredients like phenol, menthol and salicylic acid can, in fact, exacerbate lip dryness.
‘I would highly recommend ointments over balms and chapsticks, as they contain fewer preservatives and are more effective at crucially locking in moisture,’ explains Dr Sasha. ‘Look for glycerin or petroleum-based jelly occlusive products. SPF 30+ is advised, as the skin of your lips is at equal risk of the ageing effects of the sun’s radiation as the skin on your face.’
Dominique Tufa, Founder and Beauty Consultant of the Global Makeup Awards, personally tests every lip treatment on the shortlist and boasts years of experience in investigating what makes a good lip product.
She proposes a lip care routine that includes exfoliation, lip serum and plenty of water. ‘Daily care begins with gentle exfoliation once a week, using a sugar scrub to lift dead cells, followed by a thick coat of shea butter, lanolin or petroleum jelly that locks in moisture. A lip serum with glycerin or hyaluronic acid should always sit under that barrier, never on its own. Keep a mineral SPF balm in your pocket, sip water throughout the day, run a humidifier at night, and most importantly, resist the urge to lick.’
Here comes a surprise: when it comes to lip balm, it turns out there really is such a thing as “too much”. Dr Sasha explains, ‘Lip balm overuse can ironically cause dryness at the site of application, especially in individuals with eczema or sensitive skin. As a result, we apply lip balm more frequently, leading to further cracking and peeling lips, in a vicious cycle’.
K-Beauty Secrets for Hydrated, Healthy-Looking Lips
As the CEO and Founder of leading K-Beauty retailer Skin Cupid, Melody Yuan understands that looking after your lips properly makes all the difference – for how your makeup looks, but also for your own personal comfort. She offers four key pieces of expert-driven lip care advice.
1. Incorporate lip care into your daily skincare routine
‘Just like you wouldn’t skip moisturiser, don’t skip lip balm. I recommend looking for one with hydrating and moisturising ingredients like hyaluronic acid (which pulls water from the air into skin), shea butter (which softens and prevents chapping), or ceramides (which fortify the skin barrier to inhibit moisture loss).
One of our favourites at Skin Cupid is Dr Ceuracle’s Vegan Kombucha Tea Lip Balm, as it incorporates nutrient-rich Kombucha Tea Extract as well as Shea Butter and Squalane (an emollient that closely resembles one of the natural lipid components in the skin barrier) to leave lips feeling intensely nourished.’
2. Gently exfoliate
‘A soft lip scrub, like Skinfood’s Avocado and Sugar Scrub, helps remove dead skin cells so lip balms and treatments can absorb more effectively. Avoid harsh scrubs with large particles that can cause micro-tears.’
3. Layer your care
‘At night, apply a nourishing lip mask, thick balm or oil as an overnight treatment. This works while you sleep, giving you softer lips in the morning. We recommend Laka’s Nourishing Yellow Lip Oil, which delivers intensive care to rough, stressed or environmentally damaged lips.’
4. Protect from the elements
‘SPF is always a must, especially for lips because the skin there is so thin and easily compromised. Look for a balm with added SPF to protect from sun damage. We recommend Some By Mi’s V10 Vial Lip Sun Protector as it incorporates ingredients like Shea Butter and Olive Fruit Oil to provide instant relief to dry and chapped lips, while its SPF 15 filter protects against UV damage.’
Unexpected things to watch out for
Even when we try our best with diligent skin and lip care, sometimes the most unexpected products can catch us out. Georgina Tang, beauty expert and founder of award-winning makeup brand YNNY, offers 5 top tips for what to avoid:
- Any lip products (balm, oil or lipstick) that contain fragrances, menthol, camphor, cinnamon or citrus could cause irritation and make your chapped lips worse.
- Avoid eating citrus fruits or hot curry as this could irritate the broken skin.
- Avoid using matte lipsticks as they often dry out the lips.
- Be careful when using retinol on your face, and take care to avoid getting any on your lips, particularly when they’re chapped.
- Many lip balms sold on the high street contain paraffin, which reduces dehydration and retains moisture. However, it also forms a barrier between the lips and the environment, so it can prevent the skin from breathing, which can slow down the healing process.
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