A Lesson in Lips

When we think of our daily skin care routine most times people overlook a very prominent feature on their face, if you haven’t guessed it from the title already – it’s the LIPS! In this blog post we will get into the details of lip care. 

Here you’ll find:

• Daily Care Tips
• Lip Conditions
• Things to Avoid

Daily Care:

• Many people are looking for the quickest possible skin care routine to get them out the door each morning. Being in a crunch for time shouldn’t mean your skin and lip care have to suffer.

Here is a quick three step routine to get you perfectly cleansed smooth lips:

1. Cleanse
2. Exfoliate – While exfoliating is great for getting rid of dead skin, be cautious about doing it too harshly – this can lead to irritation and redness.
3. Moisturize

Considering taking a more natural approach? There are many DIY recipes available for all three steps using natural ingredients. To save time in your routine you can make your DIY products before-hand and store away. Not feeling so crafty, there are plenty of ready-to-use options available in stores.

• Your lips need an SPF too! You’ve probably read countless blogs of ours stressing the importance of sun protection for your skin – well it is just as important to protect your lips. There are many lip products on the market (balms, moisturizers, even lipsticks) that have an SPF built in. Take a look at the product labels the next time you are at your local pharmacy or makeup store.
• Ingredients to look for in a lip product:
  • Shea butter
  • Vitamin E
  • Coconut Oil
  • Beeswax
  • Jojoba Oil
  • Almond Oil

• Speaking of lip products, there is a popular trend of using matte and liquid lipsticks. While they make a great addition to your makeup look, they can cause your lips to become dry. Consider using a lip mask or balm a few minutes before applying a matte lipstick.
• Drinking water is the best thing you can do for your body in general, your lips will benefit greatly from your body being hydrated.
• Humidifier – One of the major causes of chapped lips is the lack of humidity in the air. Investing in a humidifier helps you add moisture back into the air – your skin and lips will thank you!

Lip Conditions:

Peeling Lips: There is a long list of possible causes for peeling lips. Here are some via Right Diagnosis.

• Weather conditions
  • Wind Exposure
  • Cold Weather
  • Sun Damage
• Allergy to products
  • Skin care products
  • Lip products (Lip gloss, moisturizers, lip sticks)
• Vitamin Deficiency (A, B, C, B2)
• Frequent licking of the lips
• Dry Lips
• Dehydration
• Anemia
• Diabetes

If you are experiencing peeling lips try using:

• Lip Balms (with natural ingredients)
• Hydrocortisone Cream/Balm
• Lactic Acid Cream

If your condition does not seem to be improving consider seeking professional help either from a dermatologist or primary care physician. In some cases, peeling lips can be linked to serious health conditions.

Cold Sores- This particular type of lip condition is extremely common, there are over 3 million cases reported per year in the United States. It is highly recommended to seek professional help versus self-treating. Visit WebMD to learn all the basics about cold sores.

Lines and wrinkles around the lip area – Aging is a natural process we all go through, as such wrinkling is too. If the wrinkling around your lips are a concern for you, try dermal fillers (also known as facial fillers)

• Belotero
• Restylane
• Juvederm
• Radiesse

Small lips – In recent years there has been a growing trend of lip fillers, CLICK HERE to read our blog post on the different ways to get the perfect pout.

Things to Avoid:

1. Licking your lips.
2. Breathing through your mouth, we know this might be hard to do especially when you have the cold or nasal congestion. But breathing through your mouth causes dry/chapped lips.
3. Try your hardest not to pick at flaking skin on your lips, instead soften with a lip balm and gently exfoliate the skin off.
4. Limit consumption of certain food products, like:
   1. Orange juice
   2. Grapefruit and other citrus fruits
   3. Spicy foods
   4. Salty foods
5. Lip products containing perfumes
6. As mentioned before matte lipsticks can be extremely drying for the lips
7. Research the side effects of your medications. Dry/chapped lips may be a side effect, knowing this beforehand can help you avoid any scary surprises.
8. Know what you are allergic to and avoid coming into contact with it.
   

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Lip care should be just as important as the rest of your skin care routine. Don’t forget to add it into your daily morning and night time routine.