When it comes to our beauty routine, our lips often get overlooked. From chapped lips to wrinkles to darkness, our lips take a lot of abuse. That’s why we need to care for our lips because they look better when they are healthy, but also because doing so is good for our health.Our lips are one of the most sensitive parts of our body and the skin that covers them is actually three to five times thinner than the skin on our faces. It has few oil glands and lacks melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment—making them vulnerable to harsh sun rays. Therefore, it is vulnerable to chapping and cracking and even the slightest change in weather can cause our lips to become dry and chapped. But what causes them to crack and dry up? There are a few common causes of dry lips. The most common cause is dehydration. Without adequate hydration, your body doesn’t have enough fluid to keep your skin moist and supple, so your lips become dry and chapped.Another potential cause of dry lips is the weather. Cold, dry air will draw moisture from your skin, including your lips. This can be especially noticeable in the winter months. Windy days, too, can make your lips dry and chapped. And if you live in a sunny, dry location, you may experience the effects of the sun’s UV rays on your lips.Chapped lips can also be caused by certain medications, such as those taken for acne, allergies, and asthma. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, can also make your lips more prone to dryness.Finally, it’s important to make sure your products aren’t part of the problem. Many lip products, especially those that contain fragrances, alcohol, or menthol, can be drying to your lips. So make sure you’re using a lip product that is specifically formulated for hydration and lip care. Lip Maintenance Lip Balm: A lip balm is a must-have for anyone. It helps to keep lips hydrated, to heal already dry and chapped lips and can also help to prevent irritation caused by licking, biting, and picking at the lips. It's formulated with ingredients that are gentle enough for the delicate skin on your lips, but effective enough to provide the moisture and protection they need. Lip Treatments: Lip balms and lip treatments are both used to moisturize and protect the lips, but they differ in their formulations and the level of care they provide. Lip treatments offer more intensive care and contain a wider range of ingredients that provide additional benefits beyond basic moisturization. It is recommended that lip treatments be applied before bedtime because they will provide optimum hydration and nourishment while you are sleeping. Lip Scrubs: Lip scrubs help to exfoliate dry, chapped lips and can leave them feeling soft and smooth, allowing moisturizing elements in lip balm to penetrate deeper into the skin for a more intense hydration effect. But, even lip scrubs can be beneficial for the lips, they should be used with caution. Overuse of lip scrubs can lead to irritation and even damage to the delicate skin on the lips. The lips have a thin layer of skin and lack oil glands, making them more susceptible to damage from harsh ingredients and over-exfoliation. Use them with caution and limit their use to once or twice a week. It is also crucial to choose a gentle scrub with natural ingredients and avoid harsh scrubbing or overuse. Common ingredients used in Lip Care Shea Butter Shea butter is a natural emollient that is beneficial for the lips due to its hydrating and softening properties. It contains fatty acids, which help to moisturize, protect, and nourish the lips. The rich tree nut oils in shea butter can soak into your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. It also has high levels of anti-aging properties, great for the sensitive skin on your lips. Shea Butter has extensive anti-inflammatory and healing properties as well, making it a holy grail for lip treatments. Beeswax Beeswax is popular in many lip products because of how natural and gentle it is on the skin. It is a natural emollient and humectant, which means it helps to lock in moisture and protect the skin from drying out. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to soothe chapped or irritated lips. Beeswax also provides a protective barrier on the skin from any harmful environmental impacts while restoring and rejuvenating the skin for fresh and healthy lips. Coconut Oil Coconut oil is a great natural remedy for chapped, dry lips. It is an effective moisturizer that helps to lock in moisture and protect the lips from bacteria and irritants. Vitamin E Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect the lips from environmental and free radical damage by restoring and revitalizing skin cells and strengthening the skin's natural defensive barrier. It can also help heal chapped areas and soothe uncomfortable lip cracks. Aloe Vera Extract Aloe Vera is a really common ingredient in skin care because of its vast healing and hydrating properties. It is good for the lips because it can bind moisture to the skin, making them feel less dry, and it can add moisture to the lips, making them feel less dry and cracked. Green Tea Extract *Ingredient is not as commonly used in lip products but still do wonders for the nourishment of lips. Green tea extract has been found to have numerous benefits for the skin, including the lips. It is a bit of a powerhouse when it comes to its properties because it protects the skin from harmful effects of UV rays and smoothes and hydrates the skin. In doing so, green tea extract helps diminish any signs of aging skin (fine lines and wrinkles) keeping it looking young and healthy. Sunflower Seed Oil *Ingredient is not as commonly used in lip products but still do wonders for the nourishment of lips. Sunflower seed oil is a great choice for lip care due to its high levels of vitamin E and emollient properties, which help to keep lips moisturized for a longer period of time. It is also non-comedogenic and its high levels of oleic acid, sesamol, and linoleic acid can help to soothe and strengthen the skin barrier. Sunflower seed oil is a great ingredient for those with sensitive skin because it gently moisturizes and heals the skin. Brazil Nut Oil Ingredient is not as commonly used in lip products but still do wonders for the nourishment of lips. Brazil nut oil is a natural emollient, which means it helps to soften and soothe the skin. It is also rich in antioxidants, which can help to protect the lips from environmental damage, leave a moisturized glow, and can help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines on the lips. Additionally, it is high in vitamin E, which helps to nourish and hydrate the lips and contains fatty acids, which help to keep the lips moisturized and prevent drynes. Lips and Aging One area where we can often start to see the signs of aging is our lips. As we get older, our lips tend to get thinner and lose their natural fullness and color. The supporting collagen, fat pads, and the muscles in and around the lip area steadily diminish, resulting in a thinner, flatter-looking lip. You may also notice that the edges of your lips also become less defined.Repeated facial expressions, such as pursing the lips, can contribute to the development of wrinkles and fine lines around the mouth area. This is because the repetitive muscle motion involved in making these expressions can cause the skin to crease and eventually lead to permanent wrinkles. One common example of this is the use of straws, which requires the same pursing motion of the lips as other repetitive facial expressions. However, it is important to note that drinking through a straw in general should not cause wrinkles, as long as the facial muscles are not being overused.These changes typically start gradually around age 40 and progress more rapidly with time. Other than genetics, there are other contributing factors—including cumulative UV damage from unprotected sun exposure, smoking, and other lifestyle habits—that contribute to the loss of volume and wrinkle appearance in and around lips. Drooping corners of the Mouth Drooping corners of the mouth can be a frustrating aesthetic issue for many people. They can make you look sad, tired, or even angry, even if you're not feeling that way at all. Let’s take a closer look at the 2 main causes of it. 1. One way your mouth can droop is due to the contraction of the mandible muscle known as the depressor anguli oris (DAO) shown as the blue dots in the illustration below. This is a paired set of muscles that run adjacent to the corners of your lips. For example, when you frown, these muscles pull down both sides of the mouth. Try to make a down-turned frown and you will feel those jaw muscles tensing up and causing the muscles to pull the corners of the mouth downward. If your drooping mouth is caused by the repetitive action of DAO, you can use botox to paralyze these muscles and reduce the drooping of the corners of your mouth.2. Another cause of lip drooping is aging. Take a look at the young skin and aging skin illustration below. Young Skin High in Elastin and Collagen Aging Skin Structural Atrophy As you age, your skin loses elastin and collagen. Both are structures that support elements of the skin. Elastin keeps the skin tight and collagen gives skin its firmness. Both of these fibers are rich in young skin. Observe how perfectly aligned these fibers are. As you age, they start to deteriorate and look like a broken mesh. As a consequence, the skin lost its shape. This action causes the skin to sag, forcing the corners of your mouth to droop. To restore the corners of your mouth, fillers are commonly used to replace what you lost. Thinning of Lips As we age, our lips tend to thin due to a combination of collagen loss and the breakdown of fat pads underneath the skin. Collagen, which makes up 30% of the body's protein and 70% of the skin's protein, holds our skin together, and its loss is the primary cause of skin aging. The breakdown of fat pads underneath the skin, which cushion the muscles and bones on the face, is another factor that contributes to thinning lips. These fat pads give our faces a soft and rounded appearance associated with youthfulness. If you're looking for a more immediate solution to restore volume and shape to your lips, lip fillers are an option. Ultimately, there are several ways to fix aging on and around the lips. By hydrating and moisturizing, exfoliating, protecting from the sun, quitting smoking, using lip fillers, and other treatment, you can restore a youthful appearance to your lips and the skin around them. Make sure you’re staying hydrated, using the right lip products, and taking steps to protect your lips from weather and other environmental factors. Taking these steps can help you to keep your lips soft, smooth, healthy and beautiful! 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