Chapped, cracked or just dry lips not only look not very nice, but also hurt, pinch and cause discomfort. Autumn and winter is a period when the delicate, very thin and devoid of protective sebaceous skin of our lips is exposed to a large group of external and internal factors. Dry and warm air in heated rooms does not spare them, where we spend a lot of time now, and the cold we come into contact with immediately after going outside, there is also wind, rain, and soon also frost and snow. The lips dry up and burst, and inflammation is often found in their corners, which is popular "episodes". Dehydration, lack of vitamins - especially those from group B and minerals - mainly iron, and hormonal disorders may also be the cause of these ailments. In autumn and winter, their condition is also aggravated by a very common mistake, i.e. licking them in the wind and frost or biting protruding pieces of cracked dry skin.
Today, a bit about how to properly care for your lips to prevent them from drying out, cracking and protect against the appearance of unsightly and painful "bites".
Lipstick, lip gloss or balm ... or cosmetic dizziness
The choice is really big, and the dilemma which cosmetic to choose is mainly ladies. In autumn and winter, when the lips are chapped and cracked, first of all, care should be taken to protect them. Therefore, it is better sometimes to give up your favorite colored cosmetics in favor of those whose task will be moisturizing and protecting your lips. When making a choice, you should always familiarize yourself with their composition. The condition of irritated and dry lips will certainly be aggravated by those with the addition of alcohol, colored dyes and fragrances. Cosmetics with a high water content are also dangerous in autumn and winter. Also, give up lipsticks that have durability, water resistance and leave no marks, i.e. those that remain intact on your lips for several long hours. They contain, among others, volatile silicones, which create a thin coating, give the lipstick durability. Unfortunately, their downside is that they can additionally dry and irritate the lips. Therefore, it is best if, at least in this difficult period, you decide on cosmetics that are less durable and those that in addition to the coloring pigment will contain vitamins, especially A, E, C and F. There can also be in them substances that binding water molecules, will help maintain adequate moisture and those that oiling will create a protective layer on the surface of the lips, protecting them from the harmful effects of wind and cold e.g. shea butter, hyaluronic acid, beeswax and vegetable oils and waxes (e.g. jojoba, candelilla wax) , caranauba wax, wheat germ oil, avocado, almond or sea buckthorn oil). Remember that the cosmetics you choose always have to protect your lips against UV radiation.
You will get the most of these ingredients in lotions, protective and moisturizing lipsticks, so it's good to apply them to your lips before applying your favorite colored lipstick or lip gloss. Also remember to always have your lipstick with you and use it immediately when you feel that your lips are getting uncomfortably stretched or dried.
Chapped lips will also help honey, which thanks to its moisturizing, exfoliating, nutritional and antibacterial properties comprehensively cares for them, protecting not only from excessive drying, but also taking care of their beautiful appearance and protecting cracked lips from developing infections. In the evening, brush your lips with honey and leave it for 10-15 minutes, and at night apply a thick layer of nutritional balm or coconut oil. Remember that your skin, including the one on your lips, regenerates most intensively at night.
Peeling will accelerate regeneration
If you want to improve the condition of your lips, you can not forget about peeling, it will remove dead skin and improve circulation. Thanks to it, the lips will be refreshed, they will acquire a healthy color, and cleansed and sensitized to nutrients, the skin will regenerate much faster. To find out about it, it is enough to perform such a procedure regularly 1-2 times a week. Remember not to use coarse peels, they are not intended for such a delicate body part as the lips. Acting too intensively will irritate them, thus bringing more harm than good.
You can buy a lip scrub at the store, use a delicate cosmetic that you apply to your face, or prepare it yourself at home. Use irreplaceable honey (one teaspoon) and add a teaspoon of sugar to it, such a peeling will not only help get rid of dead skin, but also perfectly nourish and moisturize, and if you leave it on your lips for 10-15 minutes after the procedure, it will become also with a regenerating mask. Instead of honey, you can also use olive oil or coconut oil. Massaging the lips with a soft toothbrush also brings good results. Apply a bit of balm, petroleum jelly or coconut oil on it and you will get the effect of well-moisturized and greasy lips.
Remember, if inflammation has developed on your lips, give up peeling until they are completely healed.
Soothing masks
Dry and irritated lips will regenerate much better and recover faster if you allow them to intensively nourish and hydrate at least 2-3 times a week by applying a mask on them. Soothing and moisturizing properties will have a simple mask of whipped cream, just whip fat cream and apply it on your lips for about 10-15 minutes, if you repeat this treatment 2-3 times a week, your lips will certainly endure the hardships of cool autumn and winter days. Chapped lips will also be helped by green cucumber compresses, they can be made even several times a day. Green cucumber will bring relief to irritated lips and will pleasantly refresh it. You can prepare an intensively soothing, moisturizing and nourishing mask if you add two teaspoons of fat cream to a mixed or well-crushed fork with a fork, you can also enrich it with the content of two capsules of vitamin A + E. So prepared cosmetics, leave on your mouth for 15 minutes. The honey mask and pomegranate juice also have very good properties. Honey will moisturize, nourish and help deal with irritation and infections, and pomegranate, which has a strong antioxidant effect, will protect the skin of the lips from the harmful effects of free radicals and give it a beautiful healthy color.
What about these cheilosis?
Cheilosis which is inflammation located in the corners of the mouth, not only does not look very nice, but also causes unpleasant feelings of pain and pinching. Cheilosis impede normal functioning, and if not properly treated, they grow and can leave unsightly scars.
Where do they come from
There are several reasons for the formation of cheilosis, most often they are the result of a bacterial or fungal infection that is easy to contract if excessively dry lips begin to crack. Cheilosis are located in the corners of the mouth, where it is warm and the most moisture accumulates. These places are therefore an ideal environment for microorganisms. Very often antibiotic therapy, as well as vitamin B2 and iron deficiency, are behind the formation of "bombs". Inflammation in the corners of the mouth is also a condition that often accompanies women during pregnancy, when there is an increased demand for vitamins and minerals. Cheilosis may also appear while using hormonal contraceptives, be the result of chronic stress, allergies (usually nickel) or one of the first symptoms of developing diabetes. It also happens that they arise as a result of irritation of the corners of the mouth during a visit to the dentist or are caused by improper oral hygiene.
Heal treatment
First of all, you should enrich your diet with products containing B vitamins, vitamins A, E and C, unsaturated fatty acids and take care of rebuilding the bacterial flora. So include in your menu yogurts, kefirs, beans, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes fish, lean meat, almonds, nuts, pumpkin seeds and oils e.g. linseed, coconut, grape seed or olive oil from olives. Limit your caffeine, alcohol and irritating salty and spicy foods. A well-balanced diet is a structure of healthy life and care, so you always have to be adapted to your needs and composed so that it naturally replenishes the deficiencies that arise in the body. In pharmacies you can also find creams for the treatment of "episodes" that can have antifungal, antibacterial, and thanks to the content of vitamins soothe and accelerate the regeneration of the epidermis.
You can also try the treatment method. Helpful can be covered covered corner aloe juice juice, spreading with honey or grape seed oil. Possibilities of preparing a mask with more expensive ovens, which are richer in comparison with group B, just mix them with water so as to obtain a thick paste and apply to changing diseases of the place.
However, if "episodes" are difficult to treat or are often relapsed, see your doctor, you may need to have well-chosen supplementation or further diagnostics. Recurrent "episodes" may indicate excessive weakening of the immune system and signal the ongoing disease process in your body. Therefore, if they are troublesome and break down often, they always require medical consultation.