Cracked, sore, and frustratingly dry lips can affect even ‘normal’ skin types in the cold, winter months, but if you have sensitive skin they can be a year-round issue.
You see, your lips are covered by skin, like the rest of your face and body. So it figures that if you have sensitive skin, chances are you will also have sensitive lips.
Of course, your lips are unique in that they look completely different to your elbows and tummy (thank goodness!), and, actually, their structure also has its own special distinctions. But, still, lips are essentially skin, and it’s important to remember this when dealing with sensitivities. How so? Because your lips are often the most sensitive area of all.
Why Are Lips So Sensitive?
While your lips are, indeed, covered by skin, not all skin is created equal. In fact, the external, red surface area of your lips is actually covered by much thinner skin than the rest of your face. Facial skin averages out at around 16 layers of skin cells, whereas the red surface area is made up of only three to five cellular layers (1). This thin surface results in a much weaker barrier function as well as an increase in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) which makes your skin less hardy, less able to protect itself, and extremely susceptible to dryness and irritation.
But things don’t end there.
As well as being thin and fragile thanks to very few protective layers of cells, your lips are also seriously lacking in sebaceous (oil) glands. This makes them even more vulnerable to dryness and damage because they’re relatively deficient of the natural oils, moisture, and protection that would otherwise keep them lubricated and shielded from environmental stressors like extreme temperatures and biting winds.
Are You Making Your Lips Even More Sensitive?
Of course, your genetic makeup carries most of the blame for the reactive nature of your skin – lips included. However, some of the responsibility also lies with you. The truth is your climate, lifestyle, and personal care habits can make a difference in how the skin on your lips reacts and copes with everyday life. A big difference.
So, what are the most common triggers of lip sensitivities?
Harsh Weather Extreme temperatures, low humidity, and cold, biting winds dry out your lips at lightning speeds because the skin on your lips lacks the strength and oils to stop moisture from escaping into the air. This is why it’s crucial to protect your lips with a lip moisturizer whenever you brave the cold.
Sun Exposure Your lips contain less melanin which makes them a prime target for those pesky UV rays to do their worst. And, as you know, sun damage and dryness go together like PB and J. The solution? Make SPF a non-negotiable must.
Dry Air Inside Your Home Air conditioning and indoor heating remove a huge amount of moisture from the air which lowers the humidity and draws unnecessary moisture from your lips. Try to keep your indoor heat levels at a comfortable room temperature all year long.
Frequently Licking Your Lips While licking your lips feels great in the short term, saliva contains enzymes that can be super-drying on the skin. Keep it up and you might end up with what’s called lip licker’s dermatitis (2) – aka extremely chapped lips.
Harsh Ingredients In Your Skincare, Makeup, Even Your Dental Formulations When it comes to personal care products that come into contact with your lips, there are many troublemakers to watch out for. These include fragrances, dyes, harsh alcohol, even natural ingredients like lanolin, menthol, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and citrus oils. Salicylic acid (3) can also be irritating for the skin on your lips so you might want to give that a wide berth.
Your Guide To Healthier Lips
1. Rethink Your Face & Teeth Cleaning Routines
Most beauty and personal care products stay away from the skin on your actual lips. However, face wash and toothpaste do not, so make sure these are extremely kind to your skin if your lips are suffering. Go for flavor-free toothpaste like Cleure’s Original Toothpaste, and stick with LipSAFE face cleansers to ensure you’re avoiding all the nasties your lips may potentially hate.
2. Make Moisture Your BFF
Drink more water – although that goes without saying, right? – and invest in a humidifier for your home. Using a humidifier in your bedroom, in particular, will improve its moisture levels and help protect your lips from unnecessary transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while you sleep.
3. Break The Habit Of Licking Your Lips
This is easier said than done, but there’s one little trick that works. Whenever you find yourself consistently licking your lips, apply a non-irritating, flavor-free, and lanolin-free lip moisturizer instead. It can help break the cycle.
4. Keep Foreign Objects Away From Your Lips
Are you guilty of putting your pen or maybe your necklace in your mouth? Don’t. Metal objects, especially if they contain nickel, can be highly irritating to sensitive skin.
5. Be Makeup Safe With LipSAFE Formulations Only
You know the feeling: take one look at the wrong ingredient in a lipstick or balm and suddenly all sorts of issues rear their heads. However, it’s not always easy to understand the lists of ingredients in your makeup so avoiding the bad guys can be tough. Good news: stick with LipSAFE products only and you’ll instantly avoid all the common lip irritants, with zero effort whatsoever. Our LipSAFE marker guarantees a product is free of the top 11 most common allergens as well as lanolin.
Here are just a few of our favorite LipSAFE products…
A Great Everyday Lip Balm For Sensitive Skin: Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick
Completely hypoallergenic and chock full of lip-loving goodies like shea butter, vitamin E, and jojoba oil, this soothing, ultra-nourishing lip balm packs a long-lasting punch of moisture for even the driest of lips. Hard to beat.
Try This SPF Lip Protector For Sensitive Skin: Curology Nourishing Lip Balm with SPF 30
If you truly care about the skin on your lips, you simply HAVE to protect them from the damaging effects of UV radiation. Staying out of the sun is the best way to do this, but you have to live your life so a less drastic course of action is to apply a sun-protective lip balm generously and often. You can’t go wrong with this gorgeous balm that contains the derm-recommended sweet spot of SPF 30.
The Overnight Lip Treatment Sensitive Skin Loves: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Sleeping Mask
Your skin has been shown to lose more moisture at night (4) so it’s vital to balm up before bed to help seal in as much moisture as possible. This hydrating mask is perfect for sensitive skin and it’s enriched with purified hyaluronic acid to draw water to the surface of the skin and seal it there for hours.
Amazing Matte Lipstick For Sensitive Skin: Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Matte Lipstick
Matte lipsticks can suck all the life out of your lips but not so with this non-drying formula from Merit. It’s so lightweight you’ll forget you’re even wearing it. Plus it’s been cleverly formulated to suit even the most sensitive of skin. One of our current obsessions.
The Only Lip Liner Sensitive Skin Will Ever Need: Pat McGrath Labs Dramatique Mega Lip Pencil
Pat McGrath is literally one of the GOATs of makeup artistry, so if you’re yet to sample her wares, now’s the time. For stunning lips – with no fear of irritation – we love these chunky lip pencils that line AND fill in your lips in one handy product. They don’t come cheap but, trust us, they’re worth every cent.
Gorgeous Lip Gloss For Sensitive Skin: Glossier High Shine Clear Lip Gloss
If you need to upgrade your gloss closet, we highly recommend this favorite of ours. A big win for sensitive skin, it’s super shiny and pretty long-lasting (although it is a gloss, remember, so it can’t perform miracles). It’s also really comfortable thanks to its gloop-free, emollient-rich formula.
Yes, Sensitive Skin Can Wear Lip Stain: e.l.f. Glossy Lip Stain
Great on the wallet, even better on sensitive skin, this beautiful lip color combines the staying power of a lip stain with gorgeously subtle shine and zero dry down. We can’t get enough of Cinnamon Dreamz – the perfect nude for all skin tones.
https://www.thepmfajournal.com/features/post/anatomy-of-the-ageing-lip
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/dry/heal-dry-chapped-lips
Everyday Products.
