Healthy lips make a beautiful, confident smile. Made up of only three to five skin layers, lip tissue is delicate and susceptible to environmental damage.
Treating Dry Lips
Always resist the urge to lick them. Saliva has acidic properties that can increase dryness and produce inflammation. Instead, use moisturizing, protective lip balms if your lips feel dry or chapped.
Select products that contain antioxidants and nutrients, like vitamin E, to nourish the lips and beeswax or shea butter to seal in moisture.
You may be able to prevent lip dryness by drinking plenty of water and incorporating essential fatty acids into your diet.
A Beautiful Smile
To keep your lips in top form, gently exfoliate once or twice per week. After brushing your teeth, lightly pass a soft toothbrush over your lips in a circular motion.
Don’t overdo it though, and follow with lip balm for best results.
Be sure to reapply lip balm during the day, especially after eating or drinking.
Lip Sores
Canker sores are small ulcers in and around the mouth and should not be confused with cold sores. Canker sores are not contagious and can easily be treated with a mouth rinse.
Canker sores are often triggered by stress, though hormonal imbalances, food allergies, and nutritional deficiencies may also be to blame.
Cold sores
Cold sores are caused by an outbreak of the herpes simplex virus. They often appear when the immune system is challenged by a cold or fever, food sensitivities, or stress.
Since they are also triggered by sunlight, be sure to use lip products that contain an SPF (sun protection factor) when outdoors to help prevent their appearance.