Lips are often overlooked when it comes to caring for your skin. The skin on the lips can dry out from a variety of factors, creating the need for treatment or application of products that simply coat the lips without creating any real benefit except that of protection. If you begin your lip care from the inside out, you may be able to prevent dryness that can lead to peeling, crevices, and bleeding.

What Causes Dry Lips?

Some people think that lips don't produce oils due to the lack of sweat glands. However, lips do have special glands that produce natural lubrication to protect the skin on the lips. This natural lubrication is often not enough to protect the lips from the drying effects of saliva, sun exposure, environmental dryness, and toxins.

Eating Healthy for Proper Lip Care

Vitamins and minerals play important functions in promoting healthy skin and lips. Eating a healthy, balanced diet full of a variety of foods helps you to get the proper nutrients essential for healthy lips.

Vitamin A helps keep skin and mucus membranes healthy to promote proper moisture balance and protection from cell damage. Vitamin A is also necessary for skin and wound healing. Foods rich in Vitamin A include dark orange fruits and vegetables, green, leafy vegetables, and eggs. Applied topically in skin care products, Vitamin A derivatives are used to maintain proper moisture balance and to reduce the signs of aging.

B Vitamins, especially Vitamin B-1 and Vitamin B-3 are also beneficial to your skin and lips. These vitamins increase circulation and oxygen to the skin. Good sources of these vitamins include egg yolks, nuts, tomatoes, and broccoli.

Vitamin C is needed for collagen production in the skin. Collagen helps the skin to be firm, smooth, and flexible. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that can help prevent cell damage and prevent the effects of aging on the skin. Foods rich in Vitamin C include citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes. Topical applications that include this vitamin may help to reduce the appearance of age spots and fine lines.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to prevent cell damage in the body, which helps to delay the signs of aging in the skin. Foods that are rich in this vitamin include nuts and seeds, olives, green, leafy vegetables, and wheat germ. There are many topically applied products that have Vitamin E as an ingredient to help reduce the signs of aging.

Natural Lip Care Tips

It is important to care for your lips every day to prevent dryness and damage. You may even need to exfoliate the skin on your lips every week. Eat a healthy, and balanced diet full of a variety of necessary vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Use a lip balm daily. Your lip balm will give you more protection if it contains ingredients such as sunscreen, and either petroleum jelly, beeswax, or paraffin. Avoid licking or biting on your lips, as saliva can lead to dryness. Try not to touch your lips or pick at them to avoid introducing harmful organisms that can create infections and to allow proper healing of any cracks or irritation.

This post was created using resources taken from the Cosmos Clinic. If you'd like to know more about them, check out their LinkedIn page.