It’s the total body makeover that no one wants but comes every winter: Dry hands, brittle hair, and — for many — sore, chapped lips.”It is one of the thinnest areas of skin,” said Dr. Abigail Waldman, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “And so things like winter, where the humidity drops, the water basically gets pulled out of that thin skin, leaving it to look like a cracked riverbed.”Licking your lips won’t help.”That actually increases the amount of evaporative water loss we get,” Waldman said. “So you’re licking your lips and then it evaporates. It causes more dryness and then, it’s just kind of this vicious cycle.”So here’s how you break it:Waldman recommends petroleum jelly, especially for severe chapping and bleeding.Other ingredients that help include shea butter, mineral oil, coconut oil and beeswax.”Anything that’s going to kind of seal off that skin and prevent water loss,” she said. At the same time, avoid products that contain camphor, eucalyptus, alcohol and salicylic acid.”They may feel tingly on your lips,” Waldman said. “It makes it feel like it’s working, but really what that’s doing is irritating your lips further, exfoliating and making your dry chapped lips worse.Waldman said she also shops for hypoallergenic and fragrance-free products. If the product contains sunscreen, too, that’s even better.”The other thing you can think about, if you really have a problem with chapped lips, is actually adding a humidifier to your work or to your home to add more moisture back to the air,” she said.You may have heard lip balm is “addictive” and stops your lips from generating natural moisture.Waldman said neither is true, so if you feel as though the more you use a product, the more you need it, blame the ingredients and consider getting another product.
It’s the total body makeover that no one wants but comes every winter: Dry hands, brittle hair, and — for many — sore, chapped lips.
“It is one of the thinnest areas of skin,” said Dr. Abigail Waldman, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “And so things like winter, where the humidity drops, the water basically gets pulled out of that thin skin, leaving it to look like a cracked riverbed.”
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Licking your lips won’t help.
“That actually increases the amount of evaporative water loss we get,” Waldman said. “So you’re licking your lips and then it evaporates. It causes more dryness and then, it’s just kind of this vicious cycle.”
So here’s how you break it:
Waldman recommends petroleum jelly, especially for severe chapping and bleeding.
Other ingredients that help include shea butter, mineral oil, coconut oil and beeswax.
“Anything that’s going to kind of seal off that skin and prevent water loss,” she said.
At the same time, avoid products that contain camphor, eucalyptus, alcohol and salicylic acid.
“They may feel tingly on your lips,” Waldman said. “It makes it feel like it’s working, but really what that’s doing is irritating your lips further, exfoliating and making your dry chapped lips worse.
Waldman said she also shops for hypoallergenic and fragrance-free products. If the product contains sunscreen, too, that’s even better.
“The other thing you can think about, if you really have a problem with chapped lips, is actually adding a humidifier to your work or to your home to add more moisture back to the air,” she said.
You may have heard lip balm is “addictive” and stops your lips from generating natural moisture.
Waldman said neither is true, so if you feel as though the more you use a product, the more you need it, blame the ingredients and consider getting another product.
