Sporting masks in public is a part of the brand new norm, and we all know that it may well result in maskne. However do you know that carrying face masks can result in dry lips? It’s not solely the humidity and friction that causes it, but additionally the truth that we would drink water much less typically since we would discover it a chore to take away our masks for that sip of water.
Furthermore, the pores and skin in your lips is thinner, with only a third of the mobile layers in comparison with the remainder of the physique. Additionally, there aren’t any moisturising sweat glands on the floor. That’s the reason even licking your lips can wreck injury and dry them out – so it’s extraordinarily vital to hydrate and defend.
That being stated, typically regardless of how properly you preserve your pucker or how a lot lip balm you slather over your lips, they’re nonetheless dry, scaly and itchy. Why?
If you end up with chapped itchy lips, it could possibly be an indication of a situation referred to as cheilitis. It often happens across the borders of the lips, although the encompassing pores and skin and the mouth cavity might also be affected.
Signs of cheilitis
Cheilitis could trigger itching, a burning sensation or ache. It may be as a result of a number of elements, each inner and exterior. The commonest are eczema, persistent solar publicity and an infection.
Lip dryness as a result of inner ailments is much less widespread. Eczematous cheilitis is the most typical trigger. This can be as a result of pores and skin ailments corresponding to atopic dermatitis or by contact with allergic or irritant supplies, or each. In each conditions, you’ll have rashes elsewhere in your physique.
Causes of cheilitis
It is very important be aware that a number of elements could co-exist for any one that is affected. Irritation or allergy by meals, pharmaceutical merchandise (corresponding to sunscreens), fragrances, cosmetics, oral hygiene merchandise and preservatives are the widespread culprits.
How do you inform in case you have cheilitis?
To guage eczematous cheilitis, an evaluation of atopic illness, an in depth historical past that critiques one’s publicity to irritants or allergens and patch testing are invaluable.
Patch testing is crucial for allergic contact cheilitis. To seek out out the potential allergens, suspected gadgets from the affected person could be examined, together with the usual set of allergens accessible at specialised dermatology centres.
Sufferers with unfavourable patch checks are recognized with irritant contact cheilitis or atopic cheilitis. Nevertheless, since a number of elements could be answerable for lip irritation, it could be troublesome to determine the kind of eczematous cheilitis.
Methods to deal with cheilitis
Supply: Her World
