What causes cracked lips?

The causes of cracked lips can be attributed to various factors. 1. Environmental factors: In cold, dry weather, the lips tend to lose moisture easily, leading to chapping. Additionally, unhealthy habits such as frequently biting or licking the lips can irritate the lip skin and cause cracking. 2. Internal bodily factors: Deficiency in vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, can weaken the function of sebaceous glands around the lips, affecting their moisture levels. Moreover, lip inflammations such as angular cheilitis and chronic cheilitis are common causes of lip cracking. These inflammatory conditions damage the skin of the lips, resulting in symptoms like fissures, swelling, and pain. 3. Certain medical conditions may also indirectly lead to cracked lips, such as allergic cheilitis and Sjögren's syndrome. These diseases affect the body's metabolism and immune system, thereby impacting the health of the lips.