A great many people suffer from dry lips, as they not only look unattractive, but can sometimes be really painful. With most this problem intensifies in the cold winter months, since here the emergence of dry skin is still promoted by dry heating air. Others, however, complain about dry lips all year round, some even more so in the summertime.
The lips represent an area of the skin that is particularly susceptible to dehydration. One reason for this is that the skin is extremely thin in this area and there is no subcutaneous fatty tissue here that could protect against dehydration. In addition, there are no sebaceous glands in the lips, which are responsible for the production of lipids, and in the rest of the skin, they ensure that the skin is more or less covered by a layer of fat (depending on the individual).
Why is it that some people tend to get dry lips in the summer, although they tend to have dry skin in the cold winter? One of the most common causes of dry lips is dehydration. This can either be caused by drinking too little or losing too much fluid (for example, through diarrhoea, vomiting or sweating).
So if you sweat more in the hot ambient temperatures in summer without compensating this loss of fluid with a sufficient amount of drinking, the skin – and especially the lips – can dry out. Therefore, it is always, but especially in summer, of great importance to drink enough (if possible at least two liters per day, bearing in mind that alcohol and coffee dehydrate the body). Another important factor is UV light.
The sun shines more often and more strongly in summer than in winter and you are exposed to it for longer because you spend more time outside in the fresh air. It is a well-known fact that UV radiation can cause sunburn, but it also causes the lips to dry out more quickly because they are additionally irritated (especially if they are sensitive or already damaged, cracked or brittle). You can protect yourself from this by taking good care of your lips.
For example, you can use the lip care sticks that are now available almost everywhere, although many complain that they only show their effect for a short time before the lips get used to them and therefore dry out even faster than before. Very fatty creams or ointments such as Vaseline or milking grease or household remedies such as honey are more effective. If you use lip care products in summer, you should make sure that you choose one that contains UV protection if possible.
Some colored lipsticks can also be recommended, since the pigments they contain may also contain light protection. However, there are also preparations that tend to dry out the skin, so people with dry lips should take their time when choosing a good lipstick. Apart from the UV radiation, many people’s lips are also exposed to the salty air at the sea or chlorinated water in the swimming pool, or even worse: the salt water in the sea.
If you stay in the water for a long time, your skin gets wrinkled because it is dehydrated, this phenomenon is familiar to everyone after a long shower or bath. Bathing in a swimming pool or in the ocean is no exception, on the contrary: if the water is salt water, the dehydration effect is even greater. So if you know that you tend to get dry lips quickly and want to avoid this, it is advisable not to spend too much time in the sun and/or water in summer.
Of course, you always have to consider whether this restriction impairs the quality of life more than enduring dry lips. Although dry lips can be very annoying and sometimes painful, they do not represent a real health risk. Other topics that might interest you: All topics on dermatology under: Dermatology A-Z
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- Dry lips: Cause
- Dry lips: Summer
- Dry lips: Winter
- Dry lips: Therapy with honey
- Dry lips: Children
- Dry lips: Lipstick
- Dry Lips Home Remedy
- The right skin care for men
- Inflammation lip
- Corner of the mouth torn
- Dry eyes
- Dry skin
- Sunburn
- Skin Cancer
