What causes lips to start peeling? Lip peeling can crop up and grow into a habit. Due to the thinness of lip skin covering, peeling may be in the form of small thin flake-like or layers depending on the causes, triggers or risk factors such as fungal infections of the lips.
What is lip peeling? In this sense, when your lips start peeling it means a problem that causes the lip skin to come off.
There are a number of things that can directly cause lip peeling this problem whereas others prompt lip peeling or lead to the problem. However, this may not be related to problems in lipstick peeling off.
Peeling lips exfoliative cheilitis
Exfoliative cheilitis is a rare skin condition (or disease) that affects the lips, the lip borders in particular. Like psoriasis, this condition also has persistent symptoms and long-term signs on the lips.
Since the symptoms can raise concerns, this condition can potentially be telling something about a lingering problem with your immunity especially as it initially starts to appear.
One of the common symptoms of exfoliative cheilitis is lip discomfort as indicated by lip dryness. Other signs/symptoms include:
- Burning sensation of either affected lips
- Tingling along lip borders or affected areas of the lip
- Itching
- Swelling
- The lips may become discolored with the removal of keratin (peeling)
- Lesions that recur or appear again
Chronic lip biting, oral or lip sucking and breathing through the mouth can worsen the symptoms exfoliative cheilitis.
This skin condition can respond to various treatments at varying levels and this can make cosmetic practices sound disastrous.
NOTE: Keep in mind that certain treatments can worsen this condition.
There are other things that can cause burning sensations in the skin such as allergic reactions. It is, therefore, best to read the symptoms and the changes taking place before you resort to quick treatments.
Dry peeling lips
People with lip chronic symptoms often lick when lips to relieve the discomfort of lip dryness. Dry lips are not only one of the risks that could lead to peeling lips with teeth but also tempts one to actually chew them.
Here are three or four of the major causes of dry lip skin include:
Cold weather or winds
Exposure of lips to cold winds or weather conditions can literally make the lips dry out. Cold winds carry away moisture leaving the delicate lips vulnerable to peeling due to moisture loss.
Frequent lip licking
Individuals with the lip-licking problem usually develop it and eventually become habitual but is occasional during winter.
Sun damage
Besides injury, damage of lip skin can also be attributed to the harmful effects of direct sun. Occasionally, this would cause sunburn. Formation of blisters and itchy, dry patches on lips after to sunburn can also prompt lip peeling.
Irritants
Lip irritation is primarily due to the fact that the lips lack typical features of skin with hair follicles. The list of things that can make into the list can be endless. However, many of those known include alcohol, certain ingredients in lip products such as lipstick.
Since there are various reasons for dryness on lips, certain noticeable symptoms (like redness in eyes, changes in the tongue, etc.) or those that individuals experience such as developing a fever could be a signal of a serious health-related problem.
Vitamin deficiency
Another likely risk for peeling lips is a deficiency symptom. More often, many people end up with dry, cracked skin due to the deficiency of certain B vitamins. Other considerable vitamin deficiencies include vitamins A and C.
Symptoms that indicate vitamin deficiency widely vary with a vitamin type. For instance symptoms of riboflavin (vitamin B} include:
- Presence of cracks on lip borders
- Sores on the outsides of the lip and lip corners
- Swelling of mouth lining
- Inflamed scaly skin
- Redness on the mouth lining
One of the problems encountered here is that of identifying correctly if dryness or cracking of skin is actually associated with deficiency of certain vitamins. For instance, if not diagnosed properly, this could be mistaken for something else such as
Dry lips and hypothyroidism
Do dry lips mean that you have a thyroid disease or disorder?
Hypothyroidism is one of the thyroid diseases or disorders whose symptoms (not all) can be revealed or discovered through noticeable changes in the skin – in terms of appearance and so on.
Some of the skin changes expected include developing a dry, rough and wrinkled skin. However, these are not the only things to help tell whether you have the disease.
In this case, hypothyroidism is, therefore, a possible risk factor for lip peeling, even though rare.
Lip peeling anxiety
Lip picking is the removal of skin flakes or dead skin from the lip surface. Besides, it is a tendency in human habit and triggers, picking at lips is an indicator of certain anxiety/anxiety disorders.
Some people who habitually pick at their lips find themselves doing it yet they do not realize it the sooner. Consequently, such people end up with the feeling that doing so would leave the lips smooth. Most people who develop this habit find it difficult to stop in the long run.
Unfortunately, one of the effects of picking lips is chapped lip risks.
Dissolving this problem may require a combined effort from professional to therapy based treatments.
Diseases or other conditions for lip skin peeling
Peeling off of lip skin can also be evidence of certain diseases but this is rare. Such occurrences involving the lips are reported during diagnosis. These conditions or diseases include the following.
- Kawasaki disease in children
- Diabetes mellitus or hyperglycemia
- Macrocytosis
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Iron deficiency
Peeling lips cure
Here are some specific treatment methods for various causes of lip peeling:
Calendula gel
The application of calendula gel on the lip is one of the ways to treat persistent lip peeling caused by exfoliative cheilitis.
According to a medical report, “Calendula officinalis L. is indicated to control the bacterial growth into biofilm, against periodontopathogenic bacteria, and oral inflammatory processes.” [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Antifungal creams
The use of antifungal creams is another method of treating lip cheilitis. Doctors recommend patients get examined thoroughly before they start to apply creams.
Avoid using hydrogen peroxide on lips if you are diagnosed with lip cheilitis.
How to deal with dry peeling lips
Unless you have dry chapped lips or sore dry lips, the following are some of the ways to approach and deal with dry lips that peel.
- Do you get dryness on lips from constant lip licking? Find out what causes or leads you to lick lips and what you would do to address the problem
- If regular moisturizing does not help consider looking at what you apply on your lips
- Chronic stress and dehydration can interfere with body metabolism
- Protect your lips all-time more so during cold weather
- Consider lip treatment
- You can change your toothpaste after consulting your dentist
If these treatment options or remedies cannot help heal dry lips, it is time to turn your attention to a medical professional.
Although it may not be totally avoided, these are top tips for addressing or averting future instances of dryness and peeling of lip skin.
- Stop investing in cheap quality lip products
- Countercheck for the manufacturer of most lip products not forgetting manufacture and expiry dates
- Protect your lips with a good lip sunblock
If you have severe symptoms which accompany peeling lip skin always see a health specialist
Understand your allergies
A good start to this is analyzing products you have used before. Sometimes you may be required to prepare a list of the same with an aim of eliminating possible culprits.
However, the best way to know and understand what your lip skin is are allergic to is by visiting an oral specialist.
Lip peeling DIYs – home remedies
Below are DIYs that you can try out. We have sampled our procedures some of which you can do at the comfort of your home.
Glycerin edible
Glycerin can really boost up the ability of your skin to get hydrated more through raising moisture content. Besides, it can also promote the healing of lip tissue if it is injured.
Find edible glycerin from your nearest drugstore and apply it on lips before bed.
Beeswax
Why is beeswax important for your lip care? Beeswax locks in moisture and also prevents further cracking.
DIY lip treatments
Other treatment DIYs to try to include lip balms, lip oil such as coconut oil, fish oil and Shea butter.
Fish oil is available as vitamin supplements and should, therefore, be taken with caution – under your doctor’s instructions.
IMPORTANT: Not all remedies or DIYs will be applicable to your every lip problem.
Lips peeling persistently
Anyone can experience lip that peel continuously. One of the reasons for persistent peeling lips is associated with lip cheilitis.
If your lips keep on peeling after trying all possible means like moisturizing or placing a lip oil, start by visiting your healthcare giver who can refer you to a skin specialist.