How to Treat Chapped Lips | UPMC HealthBeat (2025)

Copied!

Ever ask yourself, “Why are my lips so dry?” The answer is that the thin skin on our lips is often at the mercy of the environment.

Cold weather, wind, and even the sun’s harsh UV rays don’t discriminate. The elements often leave behind a trail of tightness and discomfort known as chapped lips.

Because chapped lips are a common problem, there are many products on the market that offer relief. However, not all treatments are effective. Understanding how to effectively treat chapped lips is vital.

What Causes Chapped Lips?

Chapped lips, also known as cheilitis, are more than a winter woe or a sign of dehydration. They’re a cry for help from the delicate skin on our lips. Symptoms include cracked, dry, and sometimes peeling skin.

Unlike other parts of the skin, the lips lack oil glands and can’t produce their own moisture. This deficit makes them especially vulnerable to external conditions.

Seasonal weather isn’t the only external factor that causes chapped lips. Indoor heating, central air conditioning, and the repeated licking of your lips cause moisture loss and dryness.

Chapped lips can affect anyone. The discomfort can range from mild tightness to severe cracking that can bleed and lead to infections when left unattended.

Avoiding chapped lips completely is difficult. But there are ways to care for your sensitive skin to make for a speedier recovery.

How to Treat Chapped Lips

When treating chapped lips, the goal is to restore the balance of moisture the thin skin of your lips desperately needs.

For quick relief, start by applying a non-irritating lip balm or moisturizer. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends products with the following ingredients:

• Castor seed oil.
• Ceramides.
• Dimethicone.
• Hemp seed oil.
• Mineral oil.
• Petrolatum.
• Shea butter.
• Titanium oxide.
• White petroleum jelly.
• Zinc oxide.

When should I apply lip balm?

When moisturizing your lips, consistency is key. Apply balms or moisturizer several times a day and before bed. Application before bed allows the lip treatment to work undisturbed while you sleep.

Like your bedtime routine, apply lip treatment before:

• Going outside. Even in the winter, the sun isn’t friendly to dry, cracked lips. Make sure your lip balm contains sun protection factor (SPF) 30 or higher.
• Pre-exercise. Excess sweat and dehydration can worsen dry lips. This is doubly important for outdoor activities, such as a run or a bike ride.
• Traveling. Air conditioning from a car and the dry air in an airplane cabin aren’t friendly to dry skin.

Extra hydration during these activities is also vital. Chapping means the skin around your lips is dry. Hydration can help speed up the healing process.

How to Prevent Chapped Lips

Moisture and hydration

Similar to chapped lip treatment, the most effective way to prevent chapped lips revolves around moisture and hydration.

A few tips can help mitigate the risk of chapped lips:

• Avoid licking your lips, even though it may give temporary relief. Saliva worsens the problem over time, leaving the lips dry after evaporating. Stay conscious of licking and picking at the dead skin on your lips.
• Don’t put metal on your lips. Paper clips, jewelry, metal straws, and other products made of metal can irritate damaged skin on the lips.
• Increase your water intake. Hydration is one of the most effective ways to keep your skin looking healthy. A lack of water in the body can cause inflammation and dryness in the skin.
• Use a humidifier in your home to combat dry air.
• Apply lip balms even when your lips appear healthy. Helping the skin around the lips retain moisture before the dryness starts is crucial.

Lip exfoliation

In addition to keeping skin moisturized, exfoliation is a great tool for preventing chapped lips. Like all skin cells, the skin on the lips naturally sheds on its own. But those skin cells may not fully shed, leaving layers of dry and dead skin.

Lip exfoliation removes the excess dry and dead skin. It also helps increase the effectiveness of moisturizers on the healthy skin underneath.

You can buy exfoliants from a drugstore or make them at home with a couple of simple ingredients. Common ingredients for DIY lip scrubs include sugar or coffee grounds.

Because the skin on the lips is so sensitive, limit lip exfoliation to once per week. This process is simple:

• Clean lips of any balm, lip gloss, or lipstick.
• Dip a wet washcloth or soft toothbrush into the exfoliant mix. Gently brush your lips in a circular motion.
• When you’ve finished, clean off the scrub and immediately rehydrate the lips with a balm or a moisturizer.

What to Avoid Using on Chapped Lips

There are many products on the market for managing chapped lips. Unfortunately, some include ingredients that may make the problem worse.

In general, if you feel stinging, burning, or any other discomfort, you’re using the wrong product. Pain doesn’t mean the balm is working. In fact, it usually means the opposite.

Products that contain alcohol, alpha-hydroxy acids, or retinoids are too harsh for sensitive or dry skin. Additionally, avoid fragranced products.

You should also avoid lip products that contain:

• Camphor.
• Eucalyptus.
• Flavoring.
• Lanolin.
• Menthol.
• Octinoxate.
• Phenol.
• Propyl gallate.
• Salicylic acid.

Higher Chapped Lips Risk

Underlying medical conditions or certain work/living environments can contribute to a higher likelihood of dry or chapped lips.

Individuals with eczema or sensitive skin are more prone to chapped lips. Older adults with thinner skin may also experience dryness more often.

People who live in cold or dry climates frequently face harsh conditions that cause chapped lips. Those who work outdoors exposed to the elements may also face a higher risk.

Should I Ever Seek Medical Attention for Chapped Lips?

Chapped lips typically go away with home treatment and no medical attention. However, if there’s no improvement with home treatments, you may want to seek medical advice.

Persistent cracks, bleeding, or signs of infection, such as swelling or pus, warrant a professional opinion.

In some cases, chapped lips can mean an allergy or a vitamin deficiency. A healthcare professional can perform tests to rule out any underlying causes.