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What causes dry lips?

Dec 23, 2024 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Wenmin
Introduction
In general, dry lips can be caused by various factors such as dehydration, dry weather, cheilitis, colds, and medication side effects. Insufficient body hydration can affect the skin's ability to retain moisture, leading to loss of water from the lips and resulting in dryness. Accompanying symptoms: Dehydration may be accompanied by symptoms such as thirst, dark yellow urine, and decreased skin elasticity.

    Under normal circumstances, dry lips may be caused by multiple factors such as dehydration, dry weather, medication side effects, cheilitis, and colds. If discomfort occurs, timely medical consultation is recommended. A detailed explanation is as follows:

    

    1. Dehydration

    Insufficient body water can affect the skin's ability to retain moisture, causing lips to lose moisture and become dry. This may be accompanied by symptoms such as thirst, dark yellow urine, and decreased skin elasticity. It is advisable to increase daily water intake, drinking at least eight glasses of water per day to maintain proper hydration.

    2. Dry Weather

    Dry air can draw moisture from the lips' surface, disrupting the moisture balance and causing dryness. Using a humidifier to increase indoor humidity, applying lip balm to keep lips moisturized, and wearing a mask when outdoors can protect the lips from cold winds.

    3. Medication Side Effects

    Side effects of medications may include symptoms such as dry mouth and dry skin. Diuretics, antidepressants, and other medications may reduce saliva production or affect skin moisture balance, leading to dry lips. In such cases, consult a physician to switch to alternative medications to reduce these side effects.

    4. Cheilitis

    Cheilitis may be caused by factors such as allergies, infections, or prolonged physical or chemical irritation. These factors can damage the lip skin barrier, increasing moisture loss and resulting in dryness. Symptoms may include redness, itching, pain, or discharge from the lips. Treatment may include the use of mucopolysaccharide polysulfate cream, olopatadine hydrochloride tablets, or mupirocin ointment, under a physician's guidance.

    5. Colds

    During a cold, nasal mucosa becomes congested and swollen, causing nasal blockage and subsequent mouth breathing. Breathing through the mouth exposes the lips directly to the air, accelerating moisture evaporation and causing dryness. Symptoms may include nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, and fever. Follow medical advice to use medications such as compound paracetamol and amantadine capsules, ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, or acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine, and artificial cow-bezoar capsules to alleviate cold symptoms.

    It is recommended to drink plenty of warm water in daily life, pay attention to whether other symptoms appear, and seek timely medical attention.

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