What causes black lips?

Generally, dark lips may be caused by long-term sun exposure, unhealthy lifestyle habits, cheilitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, and other factors. It is recommended to seek timely medical consultation to identify the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment under a physician's guidance. Detailed explanations are as follows:

1. Long-term sun exposure: Prolonged ultraviolet radiation can lead to melanin deposition on the lips, causing the lip color to darken. Wearing a mask or applying sunscreen lip balm during outdoor activities can reduce direct UV exposure to the lips, preventing further pigmentation.

2. Unhealthy lifestyle habits: Frequent smoking allows harmful substances such as nicotine to adhere to the lips' surface, resulting in darkened lip color; repeated lip licking damages the mucosal barrier of the lips and causes pigmentation. Smoking cessation, breaking the habit of lip licking, and using mild lip balm regularly to keep the lips moisturized are recommended.

3. Cheilitis: Long-term irritation, allergies, and other factors may cause cheilitis. Recurrent inflammation damages the lip mucosa, leading to pigmentation and darkening of the lips. Patients may follow medical advice to use medications such as erythromycin ointment, tacrolimus ointment, or mometasone furoate gel to alleviate inflammation and improve lip condition.

4. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Reduced pulmonary ventilation function causes hypoxia in the body, resulting in purplish-black lips, often accompanied by symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath. Patients should follow medical instructions to use medications such as salbutamol aerosol, budesonide formoterol powder inhaler, and tiotropium bromide powder inhaler to improve lung function and relieve hypoxia.

5. Heart failure: Weakened cardiac pumping function leads to poor circulation and systemic hypoxia, causing the lips to appear dark or purplish, accompanied by symptoms such as chest tightness and fatigue. Patients should follow medical advice to use medications such as furosemide tablets, spironolactone tablets, and digoxin tablets to improve cardiac function. Cardiac resynchronization therapy may be required in some cases to restore normal blood circulation.

In daily life, maintaining a regular routine, avoiding staying up late, eating a light diet, and reducing intake of spicy or irritating foods are recommended. Proper lip care is important; avoid using low-quality lip balm or lipstick, and promptly address any lip discomfort to prevent worsening of symptoms.