Skin-Care Tip: How to Stop Licking Your Lips (Part 2)

Hey everyone!

This post is useful for everyone - women, men, and, perhaps more so, parents. It's a follow up to my previous skin-care tip: How to Keep Your Lips Moist.

Do you ever lick your lips constantly because they are dry? Do you have kids who do this constantly? If you said "yes" to either one or both of these questions, that's a bad habit that should stop. Read on to learn why.

Licking your lips constantly can develop into a rash that leaves a red ring around your mouth, which can irritate and cause pain. Needless to say, it's definitely not a handsome sight having a red ring around your mouth.

Please don't confuse this post with my previous one - the previous post was about keeping your lips healthy and moist; this post is about the effects of continuously licking your lips. 

Some people do have this condition, whereby they keep licking their lips so frequently until a red ring forms around their mouths. This is usually common with kids. One of my precious loved ones, who was in his early teens, kept licking his lips that kept getting more and more dry because of the licking. This continued until it developed into a rash around his mouth (like in the first photo below). :(

(Photo Credit: http://littletotsbigideas.blogspot.com/)

(Photo Credit: http://pediatrics.about.com/)

(Chapped Lips, Photo Credit: http://www.wisegeek.com/)

There's no need to panic, though. Let me inform you that this condition is not contagious and can be cured. If you know of anyone who has it, please be kind and don't shun them. :)

These are some ways to help get rid of the nasty red ring around the mouth:

Step 1: Use Vaseline

Apply Vaseline to the affected area each morning and night as it helps moisturise your lips. Avoid using flavoured Vaseline because it will only make you want to lick it off.

Step 2: Drink Water

Yes, here we go with water again. :p

It's important to keep your lips moist. Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily.

Step 3: Use a Medicated Lip Balm

Apply a medicated lip balm on your lips before having a shower or bath. The steam from the hot water will lock into your lips, making them less dry.

Burt's Bees has a medicated lip balm that is pretty decent, but pricey for the size. My precious used this and it worked for a while - it helped a bit, but he continued licking his lips even with the balm. Naturally, his condition got worse and we had to consult a doctor. I can't recall how much we bought it for, though. If I'm not mistaken, it cost us between RM 30.00 and RM 50.00 for a very small, thin tube.

Step 4: Mind The Cold Weather

For those of you living in cold climates, be especially careful when it's cold outside. Put on plenty of chapstick. Extremely cold weather conditions can cause very dry and cracked lips.

If you live in a fully air conditioned home or sleep in an air conditioned room, it helps to take note of this tip. Applying a lip balm while you're in the comfort of your home prevents dry and cracked lips. 

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For kids who have this condition, parents will need to experiment with different methods to stop them from licking their lips. Usually, kids will stop when the rash begins to hurt. Parents, do your best to prevent it from reaching this stage because it can be very uncomfortable for your kids. My precious no longer has this condition, has learned to stop licking his lips, and has beautiful, healthy, plump pink lips. Love you, baby! :D

If the condition doesn't improve, I'd strongly recommend consulting a doctor.

I hope this helps all of you. Let me know your thoughts/comments/feedback. As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a blessed weekend, everyone! Be safe, be good, and have loads of fun! :)

Signing off...

~ Lil' Missy ~