No more chapped lips: four tips to protect them from the sun and heat

With each change of season, the lips, one of the most sensitive areas of our body, feel it. During the cold months, the mouth tends to crack, while in the spring or summer, it becomes dehydrated or burns easily in the sun. In both moments, what predominates are burns, cracks and discomfort. As prevention is better than cure, it is advisable to give them a moment of our day to hydrate them and protect them against these climatic adversities.

“The skin on the lips is very fragile,” says Lorna Velasquez, cosmetic dermatologist at Clínica Alemana. This is largely the case because we speak of a semi mucosa, a transitional tissue between the oral mucosa and the skin of the face. “The skin on the lips is very fragile because it doesn’t have sebaceous or sweat glands, so it’s easier for them to dry out and crack more easily,” he explains.

“The lips are very important, both in communication, as in the sensory part and when we use them, for example, to give kisses. It is an area of ​​our skin that we must of course take care of”, analyzes Andrés Figueroa, dermatologist at Clínica Dávila. “And in this, lubrication and photoprotection are essential”, he says.

As we mentioned at the beginning, seasonal changes are one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to lip care. “This area is more sensitive to temperature changes, both when we move from season to season and when there are variations in rooms or spaces, due to air conditioning or heating,” explains Velasquez.

When the semi-mucosa of the lips is affected by these changes, their surface is altered and they are more susceptible to diseases, explains dermatoaesthetics, which makes them more dehydrated, cracked and even cracked.

A common problem is that of cold sores, which can appear because the lips are chapped by these changes of air which cause their tissues to react. “To avoid pathologies of the semi-mucosa, it is important to keep it hydrated and to provide it with external hydration”, he specifies.

“The sun can also trigger outbreaks of herpes simplex,” adds Figueroa, “so it’s very important to take care of the lips, especially those with dry skin.”

Lubricating them and protecting them from the sun: these are the two main objectives that we must fulfill on a daily basis, according to Figueroa. For this, a good inexpensive and accessible product that the professional recommends is Vaseline. It helps in two ways: as a lubricant, as it hydrates the skin and keeps it in the area; and as a barrier, so that external or environmental factors do not affect it as much.

Shea butter is also another of her recommendations for daily hydration. It is a natural product and relatively universal, as its value is not affordable, easy to obtain and safe for most people.

To protect yourself from solar radiation, you must bring a lip balm stick. “If you’re going to be in the sun, it’s important to use it every two or three hours, like when you use sunscreen on the skin. The ideal is to opt for an SPF30 factor or more, although if you have a skin condition, it is better to ensure with an SPF50″, he advises.

“Lip sunscreens should be broad-spectrum,” says Velasquez. This means that they exhibit attributes against “ultraviolet radiation, blue light and infrared.” Sometimes they can be accompanied by moisturizers for the semi-mucosa and even antioxidants”, which makes them much more complete.

The sun and the dryness of the environment —especially in Santiago or in the localities near the mountains— can be synonymous with chapped lips and great thirst. Those who work exposed to the sun should understand that daily care of this area – like all the rest of the skin – is necessary, as long-term excess solar radiation can lead to precancerous lesions on the lips, such as cheilitis. actinic. It’s a hard, scaly whitish plaque, “like a dry lip that doesn’t regenerate and requires medical attention,” says Velásquez.

In addition, frequent and unprotected exposure to solar radiation can generate basal cell carcinomas a type of skin cancer that mainly affects the face or areas exposed to the sun, such as the arms or the neck, and is the most common malignancy in men.

For the same reason, when you don’t have lip balm, Velasquez suggests applying sunscreen to your body or face, always being careful not to ingest it. “The only thing that varies is that maybe it won’t be very comfortable, or it won’t have the best flavor or we won’t have a specific moisturizer, but that’s very important. to do it,” he said.

Along with sunscreen, you should always try to include something that shades your face, such as a hat, jockey, sunglasses, or even an umbrella, to minimize risk and impact.

“I don’t know them and therefore I don’t recommend them either,” Figueroa insists. The lips, he says, aren’t an area of ​​the body that needs exfoliation because they don’t have a thick layer of skin that “can cause hyperkeratosis or become very thick, so you don’t need to do this process there”. . It’s not like the nose, where there are areas with blackheads, or like the cheekbones or the chin. There are also no pimples inside the lips, so not only is there no need to exfoliate this area, but it can also be counterproductive,” he explains.

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