BENGALURU: Many of us would agree that a lip balm is one of the most essential accessories of winter months. The cracked edges of the lips, the peeling skin and the dryness that gets worse as you keep licking them with your tongue.
The onslaught of the dry and chilly winds mean that we need to take extra care of our lips, as much as we do for our skin. Keeping a lip balm handy is not the only solution; sometimes when your lips are extra dry and cracking, you need a multi-pronged approach to keep them satiated. Drinking a good amount of water, shuffling your professional lip balm with remedies like butter or ghee, and keeping your tongue in check are critical elements of lip care. Interestingly, a quick lip augmenting procedure with hyaluronic acid based fillers like Juvederm can give you dual benefits- of redefining your lips and keeping them hydrated in the chilly winter.
Unlike the skin which has oil glands to keep the oil content balanced, there are no oil glands under our lips. This makes them more vulnerable and susceptible to drying. Neither do they have hair to protect from the environmental onslaught, unlike skin. Lips are also located within the reach of the tongue and our habit to lick them up at regular intervals also dries them out. Another problem associated with lips is that of discoloration or dark patches. This sometimes happens during a phase of ill health or because of regular smoking. Yet another factor that contributes to lips darkening is exposure to UV radiation.
Keeping it smooth
Drink water: You know that your skin needs hydration and that happens best with the intake of enough water. The same goes for lips. Though people drink enough water in summers, this intake decreases in winters because we do not sweat in the cold season and feel thirsty.
Hold your tongue: Most of us have a habit of licking our lips now and then with our tongue. This tendency increases whenever the lips feel dry and stretched. You need moisture to keep them soft and hydrated and saliva comes handy for this. But, this proves counter-productive and dries away the lips more.
Avoid Vitamin B Deficiency: Insufficient consumption of Vitamin B not only affects your digestive system’s functioning but it also affects the health of the lips. The lips and the corners of the mouth get cracked and deficiency of vitamin B can also cause ulcers in the mouth.
Lip augmentation cum hydration procedure: For people who have thin lips and desire a pronounced appearance, dermal fillers like Juvederm are very effective. When administered into the lips, the hyaluronic acid based fillers give volume to the lips, and give them more definition.
The hydrophilic gel also promotes water retention and provides hydration to dry and chapped lips. The effect lasts up to six to nine months.
Smoking is Bad for Lips Too: If its health implications are not enough a reason for you t quit, give it up for your lips. It causes the lips to become dry and dark. Chain smokers and chain coffee drinkers usually tend to have dark lips. If not for general health reasons, cut down your dependence on caffeine and smoke for improving lip appearance.
Scrub: While we all know the benefits of scrubbing our skin, we are hardly aware that the same benefits hold good for lips too. To keep the lips fresh and healthy, it can help to use a scrub on them occasionally. This will clear away the dead cells and make the lips more receptive to moisturizing agents. You can use a mixture of sugar powder and olive oil or honey to gently scrub away dead cells.
Facial Aethtic Expert, Bangalore.