Dry skin is not a very serious problem. In fact, except in really humid weather, lips tend to get dry all the time. There is, however, a big difference between dry lips and chapped lips. Chapped lips are when the lips not only get dry but crack as well, leading to the lips becoming sore and sensitive. Even talking becomes painful, and depending on the extent of the chapping, moving the lips in any way causes problems.
Usually, chapped lips are caused due to dehydration. It is not necessarily always as a result of heat, as even cold and dry air can lead to lips getting cracked and chapped. This can be very easily resolved by the application of petroleum jelly. The jelly seals the pores of the lips, trapping in the moisture, thus leading to the lips staying moist and supple. In other cases, there are medical problems that manifest as chapped lips.
Apart from the weather, a vitamin deficiency could be the cause for dry lips. This is especially true if it is accompanied by a dry mouth, although this need not be the case.
Dry lips are usually a symptom of a deficiency of vitamin B2. Vitamin B2 is a not very uncommon and is easily obtained in our diet, yet there are cases when we can be deficient in vitamin B2. Some people associate cracked lips with calcium deficiency, although there is no medical justification for this association. People who have calcium deficiency may also display cracked lips as deficiency in calcium very often coincides with a deficiency in various other micronutrients. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to a deficiency in calcium, although there is sufficient dietary calcium. This is because vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium from our food, and a deficiency in one will lead to a deficiency in the other.
Cracked lips can be of two types, one is when the lips chap throughout, showing symptoms of dry scaly skin. The other is when only the corners of the lips crack. This is a little more complicated than normal chapping of lips as cracking at the corners of the mouth can have other causes too. For example, some forms of candida infection affect only the corners of the mouth. A lack of vitamin D also sometimes manifests in cracks at the corners of the mouth. The skin is usually thickened and the mobility of the lips is compromised in that full extension is not possible. Also, the corners of the lips will tend to freeze up at night, so that in the morning, opening the mouth can cause pain. Forcibly opening the mouth to its full extent will cause the scabs at the corners of the lips to break open, leading to a cycle of infection that does not heal. When accompanied with a dry mouth, cracks at the corners of the mouth are doubly dangerous as it can be a symptom of a fungal or viral infection. A dry mouth is caused due to a reduction in the flow of saliva, and this does not happen in normal cases.
Treatment in such cases depends on the cause. For example, sometimes simple home remedies such as applying petroleum jelly can be quite effective. In other cases such as in a fungal infection, a visit to the doctor may be called for. Try applying petroleum jelly for a few days and check for improvement before you schedule a doctor’s appointment. You can also use some oils such as olive and coconut oils or essential oils on your lips.
Even if it is caused by a fungal infection, sometimes applying the petroleum jelly may cure it. Oral candida infections are common in almost 100 percent of the population, and it is therefore nothing to be afraid of. Only in cases of a really serious infection when there is a lot of pain, or if the infection is persistent and does not go away, do you have to look at medical intervention.