Dry and peeling lips can be a frustrating experience. Here are some factors that contribute to dry lips, as well as tips and recommendations to help manage this common issue.
Causes of dry lips:
- Lack of stratum corneum on the lips and mucus membranes to lock in moisture
- Cold and dry weather conditions with low humidity
- Lip licking, which can lead to lip licker’s dermatitis
Tips and recommendations:
- Avoid waxy lip products and instead opt for a rich emollient to hydrate your lips, such as Wileda or lanolin wool oil derivative.
- In fall and winter, consider lip chap and lip masks to lock in hydration and prevent dryness.
- Be mindful of irritants in lip products, such as castor oil or beeswax, which can cause irritant dermatitis and make dryness worse.
- Consider using lip masks such as Laniege, Tatcha, or Aquaphor, which contain shea butter to provide extra moisture.
- Cerave healing ointment, Aquaphor, and Vaseline are also great options as they contain petrolatum to lock in moisture.
