What do you understand by burning lips?
Burning lips are an unpleasant and permanently present symptom. Many people are plagued by burning, reddened, tense and even completely dried out lips. The skin on the lips is very different from the rest of the facial skin.
It does not form skin pigment and has no sebaceous or sweat glands, which makes it dry out more easily. Compared to other skin areas, the skin of the lips is very well supplied with blood and sensitively supplied by many nerve endings. All this together makes the lips very vulnerable to injuries caused by external influences and leads to the fact that even slight changes and damages are noticed early due to the good sensitivity. In addition, symptoms such as burning, dryness and itching are self-reinforced by licking the tongue over the lips or permanent itching. This further increases the damage to the skin of the lips.
Causes
Many influences and causes can lead to burning lips. The most common harmless cause that causes temporary burning lips is dehydration caused by wind, dry air, cold, water or vitamin deficiency. Alcohol consumption also promotes dry lips, as it draws water from the body.
The lips become dry due to these factors and do not have the ability to re-fatten themselves due to the lack of sebaceous glands. As a result, the skin of the lips feels slightly tight, then it burns and later itching or small bloody cracks in the skin may occur. External stimuli can also cause burning lips.
In this case, certain substances such as medication, food or irritants such as cigarette smoke may be considered. Physical stimuli such as strong friction or scratching during itching can also damage the skin of the lips. In rare cases, however, diseases of the entire body can also be behind the burning of the lips.
Colds, severe hunger, iron deficiency but also diabetes, AIDS or other chronic diseases can lead to the symptom of burning lips via certain metabolic processes. The lips become dry due to these factors and do not have the ability to re-fatten themselves due to a lack of sebaceous glands. As a result, the skin of the lips feels slightly tense, then it burns and later itching or small bloody cracks in the skin may occur.
External stimuli can also cause burning lips. In this case, certain substances such as medication, food or irritants such as cigarette smoke may be considered. Physical stimuli such as strong friction or scratching during itching can also damage the skin of the lips.
In rare cases, however, diseases of the entire body can also be behind the burning of the lips. Colds, severe hunger, iron deficiency but also diabetes, AIDS or other chronic diseases can lead to the symptom of burning lips via certain metabolic processes. Iron deficiency is one of many causes of burning lips.
An enormous number of people are affected by iron deficiency without knowing it. Young women in particular often have to struggle with it. Iron is needed in the body for the red blood cells to transport oxygen.
The most important symptoms of iron deficiency are On the skin, blood circulation is reduced due to the deficient function of the red blood cells. This results in paleness, hair loss and combinations of insufficient sebum and sweat formation, which in turn leads to dry lips. In addition to burning lips, cracked lips, minor bleeding and cracked corners of the mouth can also occur.
An iron deficiency can remain without symptoms for a long time. The body can compensate for the missing function of the red blood cells for a long time, but in the advanced stages of the disease, performance drops and weakness occur. For this reason, iron deficiency must be compensated for, which can be done through iron-containing food, certain vitamins, but also through medication.
- Tiredness
- Concentration difficulties
- Circulatory problems
- Skin complaints
In rare cases, burning lips can be caused by allergies. This is called oral allergy syndrome. Triggers for allergies are often conventional allergens such as pollen or birch, but also foods such as nuts, raw fruit, potatoes, ginger, almonds and many others.
The body recognizes certain protein structures in these substances, which it classifies as hostile and harmful, causing allergic reactions. In oral allergy syndrome, the allergic reactions mainly affect the mouth, lips and tongue. These can be tingling, itching, pain or burning, and the tongue can typically feel numb and swell.
Initially, the only thing that helps is to identify and avoid the allergens. In the long term, desensitization therapies can also be used. Here the body is accustomed to the allergen in small portions over years.
Stress represents a hormonal and health challenge for the body. Highly pronounced stress can influence many hormones, diseases and bodily functions or cause typical stress symptoms seemingly without reason. Symptoms that can occur during stress are When stress is severe, the immune system‘s defences are reduced, which also promotes pathogen-related diseases.
A very common viral disease of the lip is caused by herpes viruses. These can also cause burning lips when they break out under reduced performance of the immune system. Almost everyone carries the herpes viruses in them without feeling any symptoms.
Pimples and skin diseases also tend to break out under stress. The chronic disease “neurodermatitis” can also affect the lips and can occur under stress. – Sleeping problems
- Tiredness
- Increased consumption of alcohol and tobacco
- Loss of appetite
- Susceptibility to infections
Alcohol is one of the most common factors for dry lips.
After a permanent but also after a single alcohol excess, the lips may be red, burning and dry in the following days or already the next morning. This is due to the fact that alcohol blocks a hormone in the brain, which causes too much water to be excreted in the kidneys. If you drink a lot of alcohol, it is essential to ensure that you have an adequate supply of water.
Besides dry lips, dehydration also causes the typical hangover, which is also a symptom of dehydration of the body. You can find out how to fight a hangover here: Hangover after alcohol – what to do? In case of dehydration, allergies and lip burning due to chronic diseases, often the whole lip red is affected.
Emphasis on the lip margins speaks for a localized event. Frequently there is an inflammation at the transition to normal facial skin, which can occur for various reasons. Behind this, there may be irritations of the facial skin, which can be caused by friction, chemical influences or in the context of colds.
Even apparently unprovoked rashes, so-called “eczema“, are often behind burning edges of the lips. Viral pathogens, such as the herpes viruses, are often responsible here too. Mechanical irritations in the lip area are very common.
With colds and frequent nose blowing, such irritation of the skin up to the lips can quickly occur, so that the sensitive lip edges are reddened and burn. Seemingly unfounded rashes around the lips are a common phenomenon, especially in men or in people with a tendency to rashes or previous neurodermatitis. Many people have a tendency to spontaneous, localised eczema, which is reddened but can also itch and burn.
In men, mechanical irritation by the beard hairs can also be a trigger. This is called “bearded lichen”. Redness with a burning sensation at the edge of the lips is also typical for cold sores. This often affects the normal facial skin around the lips and merges fluently into the lip red.
