Got Chapped Lips?

The bleak, shortened days of mid-winter aren’t the only tough part about January.

This time of year, your lips are probably crying out for attention, too.

Winter air can lack moisture, making skin and lips drier than usual. Combine cold, dry air with a wicked winter wind, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for dry, chapped lips.

Yet, often, we overlook the fact that the skin on our lips is just as sensitive to the environment as any other area, even prone to skin cancer. And with cold, wintry air now the norm, you’ve got to do more than, well, just pay lip service to this neglected area.

Old standbys like Vaseline, made with petrolatum, work well as a barrier against indoor and outdoor dryness, says Dr. David E. Bank, director of The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco. Dimethicone, an ingredient in many lip treatments, is also effective, says Bank, as is Aquaphor, an all-purpose ointment.

Estheticians prefer to use products made with protective plant oils or beeswax. Weleda Skin Food, a multitasking moisturizer that works well on the lips, contains organic pansy, chamomile and sweet almond and sunflower-seed oils, which can nourish dry skin. The company also offers Everon lip balm and Weather Protection Cream.

To get the best effect from any kind of balm or treatment, be sure your lips are moist first, ideally with a few drops of water, suggests Bank. But resist the urge to lick them.

“Obviously it brings immediate relief, because you’re adding moisture, but it’s a double whammy, because as saliva evaporates, it takes even more of the water from the lip with it,” says Bank. Even worse, he says, saliva contains digestive enzymes that work like a solvent.

“It’s better to reach for your lip balm, and if you feel you want to moisten them, reach for some water, but don’t do it by licking.”

Keep in mind that sun damage remains a threat year-round — and that while skiiers need to be extra-vigilant about skin and lip protection, so does everyone else who goes outside.