MANAGING LIP HEALTH
MANAGING LIP HEALTH
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Healthy Lips: Your Lips Can Say a Lot About You
Believe it or not, your lips can speak volumes about your overall health. Do you have swollen lips? They could be telling you that you’re having an allergic reaction to what you ate or something you came into contact with, like that new lipstick you bought.
Painful cracked lips might be a sign that you’re not getting enough iron, zinc and B vitamins in your diet.1 So your lips are saying it’s time to eat some steak or salmon. And dry, chapped lips are practically shouting for a tall glass of water because you’re probably a bit dehydrated.
Basically, if you’re having constant lip issues don’t ignore them. The skin of your lips is thinner than any other part of your body which is why they’re so delicate. Plus, your lips do not have any moisturizing sweat glands, so they can easily become dry, chapped, or cracked.
Here are some do’s and don’ts for healthy, beautiful looking lips.
DO's
Drinking at least 8 cups of water is essential for helping you and your skin stay hydrated.2
Do protect your lips
Using a lip balm with an SPF 15 or higher provides protection from harmful UV rays that can damage your lips.3
Do know thy balms
Read the product’s label and avoid products with petroleum, parabens, camphor, menthol, eucalyptus, or alcohol as they can dry your lips out.3,4 Avoid flavored lip balms that tempt you to lick your lips which can dry them out more. Instead, look for products with beeswax, cocoa butter, glycerin, or lanolin.
Do apply the proper lip balm each night before bed
Make sure to also apply it to the outside edge of the lips because the borders tend to get the most chapped.
Do eat foods rich in zinc and omega-3 fatty acids
Foods like fish, fruit, and vegetables can keep you hydrated and restore your skin’s natural oils. Supplementing your diet with a multivitamin can also help.3
DON'TS
Don’t smoke
It accelerates skin cell damage and collagen loss. Smoking also can cause discoloration and darkening of the skin.
Don’t use matte or long-wear lipstick
These tend to dry out your lips so use them very sparingly, if at all. Instead choose hydrating lipsticks with hydrating ingredients like vitamin E.
Don’t use old lip products
Keeping old lipsticks and glosses is a bad idea. They can dry out, expire, and even grow bacteria. Gross!
Don’t pick your lips if they’re flaky
It can trigger a cold sore, cause bleeding, and lead to an infection.
Finally, if you feel a tingle in your lips that tells you a cold sore is coming on, apply Abreva® Cream right away. It is FDA approved and clinically proven to clear up a cold sore in as little as 2½ days* when you use it at the first sign. Now that you know the facts about what to do and what not to do, you can start taking better care of your lips, and have soft, sexy kissable lips. So pucker up, butter cup!
*Median healing time 4.1 days. 25% of users healed in 2.5 days.
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