Naturally, when we communicate with someone, we look at their eyes or lips. Lips play a vital role in having a good impression in front of others.
During the winter, when it's cold and dry outside, lips are more likely to develop chapped and cracked. Chapped lips can also cause by extreme cold or heat.
Lips do not have sebaceous glands, in contrast to the skin on the rest of your body. These tiny glands split open to form hair follicles.
According to Dr Asma Tasnim Khan, Skin, Sex and Anti-aging specialist, laser and cosmetic surgeon at EW Villa Medica Bangladesh, sebaceous glands are in charge of creating the oil that keeps skin supple and hydrated. But our lips have no sebaceous glands and are likely to get dried up.
To keep our lips hydrated and healthy, we need to use lip balm that acts as an instant remedy to treat chapped and dry lips.
Lip balms contain oils, waxes, petroleum jelly, and sometimes camphor or menthol to soothe our lips.
Some lip balms contain SPF to protect our lips from sun damage. The skin layer of our lips is thinner than the face, so lips need more protection from the sun.
Here are some common lip problems and their remedy.
- Chapping: It can occur in any season. Try to use a lip balm that contains vitamin A, C, or E, and AHAs.
- Splitting: Lips can crack if we sleep under air without moisturising. Do not miss the lip balm before going to sleep. If possible, try to use a humidifier to maintain the humidity of the air.
- Lipstick bleeding: Occurs because the skin around our mouth loses collagen and elastic tissue with age and excessive smoking. Dermatologists may suggest using collagen injection as per the patient's condition.
- Cold sores:These are caused by viral infections and look like blisters or open scrabs. Consult a doctor for taking an antiviral drug.
To get healthy lips
Apply a heavy hydrating lip balm or petroleum jelly before going to sleep. To take care of lips is gender neutral.
Famous content creator Mr. Rakin Absar shared in a conversation with the writer, ''I follow a skincare routine for healthier skin. Proper lip care is also important. To keep my lips healthy, I use Nivea Cherry Shine lip balm.”
He further said, “I try to scrub my lips once a month. Scrubbing is important for soft and healthy lips. We need to remove dead skin cells for healthy and clean lips. I do not use any specific lip scrub. I use mild lip scrub which is available.''
Lips do not have self-protection. Touching your lips can spread the germ. Lips licking can hydrate for a moment, when the saliva evaporates, lips will become drier.
Taking proper vitamins and nutrients in your diet can keep your lips healthy. Drink an adequate amount of water for proper hydration of lips. Use a makeup remover in a cotton pad to remove makeup from your lips before sleeping.
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