This is the time of year that lips start suffering. That’s partly because lips are especially sensitive to dry air. Just as the skin on our hands starts getting dry and irritated when the heat comes on, so too our lips may become chapped. When lips dry out we tend to lick them. That eases discomfort for a few seconds but makes chapped lips worse in the long run.
We also tend to start using lip balm. Many of the products on drugstore shelves contain sunblock. That makes a lot of sense in the summer, but not as much in the winter. A surprising number of people are sensitive to ingredients in lip balm. The more they use the lip moisturizer, the worse the problem. This reader has just such a tale of woe:
Q. I used Chapstick with SPF protection for years. I felt like I was dependent on it.
Someone suggested that an ingredient in Chapstick caused this and recommended that I switch to some other more natural lip balm. I switched, but I don’t notice any difference. Any thoughts about what is going on?
A. It is hard to say what might be causing your discomfort. Some people are very sensitive to the ingredients that provide sun protection (SPF or sun protection factor). If you are susceptible to such chemicals, they could be contributing to sad lips.
One reader wrote to us a few years ago about a similar problem. She complained about a condition called cheilitis, which is medical speak for inflammation of the lips. In her case an allergist suspected the benzone sunscreen in her lip sunblock was causing the problem. She pointed out that it’s hard to find lip balm that doesn’t contain sunblock. Her conclusion:
“In my attempts to protect my lips, I’d been unwittingly making them worse.”
Since you are less likely to burn your lips in the winter, you may wish to look for a product that does not have sun protection. You will have to do your homework, though. Many commercial lip balms may not reveal that a particular ingredient is a sunblock.
Peppermint Oil
Another reader also complained about his lips:
“My lips are incredibly dry and rough. They are so uncomfortable that I cannot keep from constantly licking them. That provides momentary relief, but then they dry out again within minutes. No matter how much lip balm I use I am constantly miserable. What is going on and what can I use to bring some relief?”
Some people react to peppermint oil, an ingredient in some natural lip balms (Dermatitis, March-April, 2010). It can cause an allergic reaction that could lead to irritation, lip licking and dryness. Here is what the physicians reported:
“The etiology [cause] of cheilitis is often not readily apparent. We present a case series of four patients with allergic contact cheilitis (ACC) secondary to exposure to peppermint oil contained in a lip balm product…
“Our patch-test results showed that peppermint oil was the most likely culprit in these patients’ ACC. Peppermint oil is less commonly reported as causing ACC than are more common contactants such as balsam of Peru or nickel sulfate. However, with the widespread use of lip balms containing peppermint oil, more cases of peppermint oil-induced ACC may be expected.”
The Lip-Licking Vicious Cycle Syndrome:
Once you start licking your lips you may end up in a vicious cycle. The more you lick the drier they get. Of course it is not easy to stop licking. When lips become dry and cracked it is almost impossible to resist the urge to lick.
Natural Lip Balm Without Peppermint or Sunblock:
Several years ago we consulted one of the country’s leading natural product chemists. We specified that we wanted to develop an all natural lip balm without sunscreen or peppermint oil. He helped us develop a line of products that might be what you are looking for. Our natural pomegranate flavor has no sun protection chemicals or peppermint oil. You may find that it relieves your discomfort without causing an allergic reaction. Here is a link to The People’s Pharmacy Pomegranate Natural Lip Care. With Chuck’s help we also created The People’s Pharmacy BERRY Natural Lip Care.
Ultimately, if you can stop licking your lips they are likely to recover.
Revised: 12/1/16
