Health Tip: Caring for Chapped Lips

(HealthDay News) -- Cold winter temperatures and bitter winds can leave your lips dry, chapped and sore.

The Cleveland Clinic lists these suggestions to help prevent and soothe chapped lips:

  • Moisturize lips each day with a balm or lip moisturizer that contains ingredients like cocoa butter, vitamins A and E, beeswax, petrolatum or dimethicone.

  • Re-apply another layer of lip protection before heading out into harsh weather conditions or in dry indoor air.

  • Protect lips from sunburn with a balm that has an SPF of 15 or higher; apply a balm under lipstick if you wear it.

  • Choose a balm that includes an alpha-hydroxy acid to soothe and exfoliate lips that are already chapped; you can also exfoliate them by coating with lip balm, gently brushing lips with a toothbrush to remove flakes, and then wiping clean and applying more lip balm.

  • Try not to lick your lips, because it actually dries them out.

Related Articles

Learn More About Sharp
Sharp HealthCare is San Diego's health care leader with seven hospitals, two medical groups and a health plan. Learn more about our San Diego hospitals, choose a Sharp-affiliated San Diego doctor or browse our comprehensive medical services.

Health News is provided as a service to Sharp Web site users by HealthDay. Sharp HealthCare nor its employees, agents, or contractors, review, control, or take responsibility for the content of these articles. Please read the Terms of Use for more information.