When the weather is cold, lips are usually very dry. In winter, lips are especially prone to conditions including cracking, peeling, and even cracks and decay at the corners of the mouth. In winter, pay attention to the protection of lips. Frequent licking or peeling of your lips to relieve discomfort can backfire, exacerbate the symptoms of rough lips, and may cause your lips to become inflamed, swollen, or even crusted.

Dry lips may not be a small problem

In fact, both lips and face are human skin, but they are different. Our skin usually consists of three layers: stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis (nerves, capillaries, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, lymphatic vessels, hair roots, etc.). Moisture in the skin resides mainly in the dermis and always evaporates outward. To keep water from evaporating, the skin secretes sebum, a natural humectant, to keep water from evaporating.

However, since the lip skin has neither sweat glands nor sebaceous glands, it cannot secrete and moisturize sebum, and the stratum corneum of the lip skin has only a few layers of thin cells, much thinner than the face, and the water evaporates relatively quickly. Therefore, when exposed to cold, dry air in winter, lips naturally dry out.

Due to dry mouth, many people's remedy is to drink plenty of water or apply lip balm to moisturise and treat their lips. However, there are rumors on the Internet that lips are always rough, not dehydration, it may be sick, and that makes sense. When the lips are dry, it means that the tissue of the lips is in a sub-health state, that is, it has not reached the level of inflammation, but if it is not relieved, it will develop into inflammation, or cheilitis. That said, if your lips are just dry and have no other symptoms, you're not sick, and you can self-regulate with something like a lip balm. If left untreated, the lips will become rough, bleed, crusted, and peeled, which is cheilitis.

Some people unknowingly lick their lips and rip dry skin with their hands when they're dry, but they don't even know it can exacerbate inflammation and lead to chronic cheilitis.

Reasons for dry and peeling lips in winter:

1. The lips are also called the lip mucosa. The stratum corneum of the lip mucosa is generally thin and transparent, which is one-third of the thickness of human skin, and is particularly delicate. In fact, the mucous membrane of the lips has no hair follicles, sweat glands, and sebaceous glands, so it is easy to dry and crack. The mucous membrane of the lips is prone to water shortage, and its barrier function is relatively poor. In addition, the mucous membranes of the lips are very hydrated and contain small amounts of natural fats. Due to these fragile characteristics, lip care is very important.

2. It is difficult for the lip skin to secrete sebum and moisturizing. The stratum corneum of the lip skin has only a few layers of cells that are much thinner than the face, which accelerates the evaporation of water. When it comes to lip balm, many people think that lip balm is enough, but improper application of lip balm can cause irritation and damage to the lips.

Treatment method for dry and peeling lips in winter:

1. If the mouth is generally dry, the remedy for many people is to drink more water or apply a layer of lip balm to moisturize the lips. If you have dry lips, it means that your lip tissue is not in good condition. However, this is not the point of inflammation. In the absence of relief, it can develop into an inflammation called cheilitis. If your lips are just dry and have no other specific symptoms, then you are not sick. You can apply lip balm and adjust it yourself.

2. If left untreated, lips may crack, scab or fall off, leading to cheilitis. Some people unknowingly lick their lips or tear their peeling skin with their hands when dry, which makes it worse. Be careful not to lick your lips, saliva contains a lot of protein and inorganic salts and other substances, which promote the evaporation of moisture from the lips. After the water evaporates, these residues absorb moisture from the lips. Relieving rough lips with saliva is more serious, especially since substances in saliva can irritate the lips.

3. Peeling lips is very uncomfortable, and many people like to tear off the peeling lips directly by hand. Hand peeling is a serious injury to the lips, which can bleed and lead to infection. Plus, after the skin on the lips is torn, the protective film is reduced and moisture is more likely to evaporate. Wet the gauze with a chemical solution for a moment, then wash it with water to let it fall off naturally and prevent infection.

In order to effectively prevent rough lips and maintain good living habits, pay attention to adding enough water every day. Coupled with the rational use of lip balm, it can effectively relieve lip discomfort. Try to choose a lip balm that does not contain additives such as preservatives or pigments. It's best to take it with you and apply when your lips get rough. Apply at night before bed and moisturize lips overnight. In addition, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement nutrition, as long as you stick to it, you can make your lips hydrated and beautiful.