Temperatures drops and the risk of cheilitis increases. If one can’t avoid it, let’s at least cure it quickly. Here are the tips for soft and healthy lips and the way to kiss freely all winter long.
Those suffering from it are often resigned to living with it at least until the springtime, because any exposure to the cold winter temperatures, to the wind, to contact with wool, makes it worse: it is called cheilitis and it is an annoying and unsightly inflammation of the lips characterized by redness, swelling and cracking. Cheilitis can be the only sign of a dermatological condition of abnormal skin reactivity, the prelude or epilogue of situations such as atopic dermatitis, contact eczema, or pathological skin dryness.
The first instinct is to apply a cream, a lip balm, a lipstick but it is often this remedy just makes the irritation worse. Many people confuse discomfort, such as burning and tingling, as a sign that a product’s active ingredients are working. Quite the opposite: these symptoms only mean that the product is continuing to irritate the lips and therefore must be stopped as soon as possible. Ingredients to avoid while the lips are chapped are, for example, camphor, aromas of cinnamon, citrus fruits, peppermint, eucalyptus, lanolin, menthol, fragrances. On the contrary, ingredients that can help treat chapped lips are vegetable oils and waxes, ceramides, shea butter.
The more dry and chapped the lips, the denser the product to be used. Regardless of the more or less suitable ingredients, for cheilitis the rule is that the right product can be found only by trial and error: once a product has been applied, it must absolutely not give annoying sensations. It will have to soften the lips and reduce water evaporation, in short, give a sense of protection. And often the search for the perfect product is a very personal quest. It is absolutely forbidden to lick, nibble and rub your lips. This would only make the problem worse. Yet often licking one’s lips is an involuntary habit, difficult to correct, especially when it comes to children.
The right lip balm should always be carried with you and applied repeatedly, even several times a day, until the moment before bedtime. In some cases, especially in individuals with very light skin, the product should also contain sun protection ingredients, as long as they are not chemical filters but physical screens such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The sun can more easily burn dry and chapped lips and may also trigger cold sores.
Other precautions: avoid your lips coming into contact with hair (tie it up at night), with wool scarves and synthetic fabrics. Also try not to use anti-tartar toothpastes, whiteners, disinfectant mouthwashes. In these cases it is better to use simple baking soda powder on your tooth brush. Try not to overheat or humidify indoors. Usually, following these tips there is a noticeable improvement in 2-3 weeks. If not, chapped lips could be caused by something more serious.
An allergic reaction, a Candida infection, a chronic dermatosis that can only be diagnosed and treated by a specialist. “Actinic” cheilitis, for example, is a form of solar sensitivity, a precancerous condition that can turn into an epithelioma of the lips, but if properly treated it heals completely.
Article of Dr Adele Sparavigna for https://4me.styl