Cold weather, cosmetics, repeated licking of lips, ailments and certain medications are held responsible for dry skin around the mouth. A layer of dry flaky skin appears which may sometimes bleed.
It not just ruins your physical appearance but may lead to social isolation. So, how to get rid of dry skin around mouth?
Fortunately, there are many ways to deal with this disorder. Over the counter creams, exfoliating and cosmetic products. However, beauty experts prefer home remedies to get rid of dry flaky skin around the mouth.
Before jumping to treatment, let’s check out its main causes.
What Causes Dry Skin Around Mouth?
The broken skin around the mouth and lips are embarrassing and painful. This dry flaky skin makes you look sick and it is accompanied by itching, burning and causes discomfort while eating.
The importance of moisturizing can’t be ignored. It helps your skin function normally and blocks infectious germs. (1) When you fail to hydrate the skin, it results in dry patches.
- Environmental changes: Decrease in humidity can result in dry skin. As the air loses its moisture and when your skin is repeatedly exposed to winds in cold weather, skin turns dry.
- To moisturize dry lips in cold, most people lick their lips repeatedly thinking that they are hydrating them. But, actually, they are making things worse. Constant lip licking results in the darker skin around the mouth.
- Certain medication like tretinoin and antibiotics used orally or topically may result in dry skin.
- Chemical ingredients in cosmetic products can irritate your skin. Most beauty cream manufacturers use preservatives and fragrance in their products, which strip natural moisture from the skin and results in dry flaky skin.
- Ailments or allergic reaction can also result in this skin disorder. There are few people who experience dry skin around the mouth regularly because of ailments.
- Experts held perioral dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and allergic reaction for this dry skin. However, you must consult a dermatologist to determine the ailment.
- Bacterial infection is also held responsible for this condition. Due to some reason, if your skin around the mouth becomes dry, bacteria and fungi invade and triggers infection.
Apart from this, other factors like longer exposure to AC, toothpaste and other substances that include irritants may result in dry skin.
How to Get Rid of Dry Skin Around Mouth and Lips?
As mentioned, there are several methods to heal your dry lips. But, natural remedies are more effective as they aren’t associated with any side-effects.
These home available remedies are cost effective and any person can try them.
Step: 1 Exfoliating
Exfoliating helps to shed dead cells and impurities from the skin. Regular exfoliating improves blood circulation and improves your skin tone.
Further, it makes your skin smooth, well hydrated, reduce the appearance of premature aging signs and restrain break-outs.
- Take 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and mix it with 1 tablespoon of raw honey.
- Also, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Apply this natural scrub around the mouth and on lips.
- Be gentle while massaging (1-2 minutes), rinse it off with water.
Instead, you can try these DIY lip scrubs without honey.
Step: 2 Moisturize
I hope you knew about its importance.
Hydrating is one among the most effective ways to protect your skin from ailments. Check things that trigger skin ailments you’ll find dry skin behind them.
After exfoliating, you must moisturize your skin around the mouth and lips. You can try your favorite cosmetic cream, or apply natural remedy like aloe vera, petroleum jelly, beeswax, cucumber, milk cream, shea butter or glycerin.
Apart from an external application, you must drink plenty of water and ingest vitamin C & E rich food.
Step: 3 Homemade Mask
If you’ve extremely dry flaky skin around the mouth, then you must regularly apply the natural mask. As these ingredients are packed with exceptional nutrients, your skin will love them.
Beeswax is one among the renowned remedies. Wash your skin and apply beeswax before trying pricey creams. Below are different DIY recipes to try, select the one that goes well with your skin.
Home Remedies for Dry Skin Around Mouth
#1 Lemon Juice
Bleaching property of lemon helps to whiten dark area around the mouth. Vitamin C housed in this home available ingredient inhibits melanin production.
However, excess use of lemon may irritate your skin. So beauty experts recommend blending it with glycerin or honey.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of glycerin and 1 tablespoon of raw honey.
- Apply the mask around the mouth and on lips.
- Leave it for 15 minutes and then rinse it off.
Lemon juice makes your skin sensitive to sun rays. So apply moisturizer or sunscreen while going out.
#2 Aloe Vera Gel
Though it tastes bitter, you must apply aloe gel on the dry skin. Prominent for its humectant property, aloe gel hydrates your skin.
Antioxidant activity of this gel lightens the appearance of the dark area around the mouth. Sticky nature of aloe gel helps to remove dry skin hanging around the mouth.
- Take fresh aloe gel and apply it around the affected part.
- Leave the skin with the gel for about 15 minutes and then rinse it off.
- Optionally you can apply almond oil to remove the bitter taste on your lips or lick some honey.
#3 Cucumber to Get Rid of Dry Skin Around Mouth
90% of cucumber consists of water. This cool cuke can hydrate you from the inside and outside.
Vitamin C packed in cucumber helps to enhance collagen production and improve skin texture.
Antioxidant activity exhibited by caffeic acid present in it protects your lips and skin around the mouth from sun rays.
- Take one fresh cucumber and slice it.
- Take one sliced piece and gently rub over the dry flaky skin around the mouth.
- You can try this simple remedy regularly.
Alternatively, you can grate the cucumber and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to it. Place the mask around your mouth and leave it to dry for 15 minutes.
#4 Gram Flour and Turmeric
Gram flour is prominent for its exfoliating activity, which helps to lighten the appearance of the dark area around the mouth.
Identically, turmeric is packed with essential vitamins that benefit your skin.
- Mix a pinch of turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon of gram flour in a bowl.
- Add few drops of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
- Mix well and massage gently over the affected part.
- After few minutes rinse it off with water.
Sugar and lemon both help to exfoliate and lighten dark skin. Instead of lemon, you can also add curd.
#5 Oatmeal and Tomato Juice
Like above ingredients, oatmeal also exfoliates your skin and lightens the dry skin around the mouth.
- Take 1 tablespoon of oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of tomato juice.
- Also, add 1 teaspoon of curd and mix thoroughly.
- Now, gently rub this mask over the dry flaky skin for about 2-3 minutes.
- Rinse it off and moisturize it.
Tips to Get Rid of Dry Flaky Skin Around Mouth & Lips
- Moisturize your dry skin regularly with olive oil, almond oil or honey.
- Avoid licking your lips frequently.
- Avoid peeling dry skin on lips.
- Chemical ingredients that may irritate your skin must be avoided.
- Drink enough water and ingest vitamin rich diet.
- Wear sunscreen while going out.
- Cover your face with a cloth when cold winds blow.
- Exfoliate once or twice in a week.
- Patch test before applying any home remedy on your skin.