Severe chapped lips are not only painful but they make you look ugly! You are looking for ways to cure your chapped lips. However before you start buying any medication for your condition, you should find out what could be the cause of it. However, attempting to find out the cause of severely chapped lips is never easy and it requires much research. Part of the work has been done for you : here we have the ten most common causes of chronic chapped lips that can give you a starting point on identifying the culprit.
1. One of the most common things we have in the house can be the cause : toothpaste. Yes, toothpaste that you use is a very common contributor to chapped lips. Why? As most toothpastes contain what is called guaiazuline, which may cause a contact allergy. So you may want to consider switching to another brand of toothpaste.
2. Love to doll yourself up? Well, what do you know? Those lipsticks that you use may contain an ingredient called propyl gallate which can cause a contact allergy.
3. Guess what? Orange juice or any other juice from citrus fruits can irritate your lips. Can you believe that a photo-toxic reaction to citrus juices can occur that can result in chapped lips?
4. One common allergen is the red dye that is found in many products that we all use and eat. For examples, candies, lozenges, gum, mouthwash, etc. all of these may contain red dye that may cause allergies which result in your chapped lips.
5. Various other lip care products besides lipstick are also a point of interest when it comes to pin-pointing allergic reactions. Many contain Phenylsalicylate (salol) which may be the cause.
6. Do you know that too much vitamin A ( taken either from whole foods or supplements ) may also be the culprit behind your peeling lips. If you are taking in more than 25,000 I.U. per day then this could the cause of your lip problem!
7. Aside from vitamin A, your body may be taking in too much Vitamin B12 supplements. What happens is that you may have developed an allergy to cobalt from taking your B12 supplements. This symptom of allergy includes crusty and swollen lips.
8. A common spice found in many of our food that can cause allergy is cinnamon. Cinnamon flavoring can cause lip chapping and it is found in candy, gum, mouthwashes, etc.
9. Eating too much of anything, even if it is healthy can never be a good thing! Eating too many figs can also cause your allergic reaction due to photo-toxicity.
10. And interestingly enough, metal objects like the common paper clips and pocket change could be a very likely cause of chronic chapped lips. An allergic reaction to certain metals in those common objects may show itself on your lips.
So, you should try to eliminate each of the possible causes from the list to narrow down and pinpoint the exact cause of your chapped lips. If all else fails, please do not self medicate. Instead look for a good skin doctor and consult with him what medication that can help. |
