Are your lips chapped or is it something else? With the dry winter weather, your lips may peel and crack. But these signs could signal another issue. Take a look at potential dry-lip-related dermatological conditions and which ones require a trip to the doctor’s office.
Chapped Lips
The cold winter temperatures zap the moisture out of the air. This lack of humidity can lead to dry lips. Combine this with lip-licking behaviors or outdoor activities on windy days and you have a recipe for serious chapping.
While chapped lips annoy and irritate dermatological patients, this issue typically isn’t serious—provided you care for your lips correctly. To treat dry, chapped lips:
- Avoid irritating ingredients. Don’t add to the chapping with the wrong balm. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends patients avoid camphor, eucalyptus, added flavors, added fragrances, menthol, phenol, salicylic acid, and lanolin.
- Use soothing ingredients. The AAD suggests patients soothe dry lips with castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone, mineral oil, petrolatum, shea butter, and white petroleum jelly.
- Drink water. Hydrate from within and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Try a humidifier. A room or whole-home humidifier can moisten the air — and your lips.
- Avoid licking. If you’re tempted to add saliva to soothe your dry lips, stop. Saliva evaporates quickly and can dry out your lips.
Most chapped lips don’t require a visit to the dermatologist’s office. But if the chapping doesn’t respond to at-home treatments, you may need professional help. Read on for more information on other possible lip-related issues.
Actinic Cheilitis
This dermatological condition can cause dryness or thickening along the border between the lips and the rest of the face. While actinic cheilitis isn’t cancerous, it often forms after chronic and excessive sun exposure and can raise the skin cancer risk.
What should you do if you think you may have actinic cheilitis? Contact your dermatologist and:
- Note the symptoms. Some of the symptom’s mimic signs of other dermatological lip issues. Actinic cheilitis symptoms often include dryness, inflammation, scaly patches, tenderness, soreness, skin tightness, wrinkled skin, or white patches.
- Limit sun exposure. Even though actinic cheilitis happens over time, it prevents future damage and limit sun exposure immediately.
- Moisturize well. A fragrance-free, dye-free lip balm can help to ease some of the symptoms before you see the doctor.
Along with over-the-counter moisturizers, the dermatologist may prescribe a medication to treat the symptoms or recommend an in-office procedure, such as laser ablation, cryotherapy, or electrocautery.
Lip Cancer
While most peeling, chapping, and scaling are benign (non-cancerous), some symptoms do indicate a more serious issue. If you have concerns about chapped lips, have chronic or long-lasting problems, or additional symptoms, or if the dryness doesn’t respond to moisture or other therapy, you may need further evaluation.
Lip cancer is oral cancer that has symptoms such as sores, lesions, or blisters, persistent lumps, red or white patches, bleeding, or pain. Some patients also experience swelling of the jaw as well.
Factors that increase the risk for this type of cancer include:
- Excessive sun exposure. Prolonged or excessive UV exposure can cause this type of damage.
- Tobacco use. Like with other types of cancer, smoking and the use of other tobacco products may also increase your lip cancer risk.
- Alcohol use. Heavy alcohol use is also associated with lip cancer.
Keep in mind, many of the symptoms of lip cancer are also signs of other, much less serious, issues. This dermatological issue requires a doctor’s diagnosis and treatment. If you have lip symptoms that make you uneasy or don’t resolve, call the doctor for an expert evaluation.
Do you have dry, chapped lips? Contact Advanced Dermatology and Skin Cancer Specialists for more information.
