Chapped Lips? Tips for winter care.
Amongst the things that get dry in winter weather are lips. In 2025, my girls would have a long list of suggestions and tips for you in this blog post that include brands like “Laneige” and “Summer Fridays”. Flavors, colors and scents galore. This post is much more practical, and I’ll explain why?
Dermatologists are boring. LOL. But there’s more to it than that. Cheilitis is the name for rash and irritation on and around the lips . One of the most common types of cheilitis is:
Contact cheilitis – This is the most common type of cheilitis that comes from something coming in contact with the skin. There are two type of contact dermatitis – Irritant and Allergic.
Irritant contact cheilitis – This is very, very common. In winter, cold dry air can dry out the lips. Other times of year, the major culprit in irritant reactions on lips is our own saliva. Lip licking, lip rolling and biting can often lead to scaling and cracking of the lips and a “clown like” red ring around the mouth. In addition to saliva, many topical lip preparations can cause irritant reactions as well which is why dermatologists are so “boring” in our recommendations. Treatment: moisturize with Vaseline only and protect the lips when in the cold and avoid lip licking. Sometimes we prescribe a topical steroid or recommend Dr Dans Cortibalm to aid in calming the rash.
Allergic contact cheilitis – This is more of a poison ivy like reaction on the lips. An allergic contact reaction often takes 30 days to totally run its course. So, the allergen only has to be contacted once a month to keep the reaction going. Commonly culprits include fragrances and sunscreens in lip balms, lipsticks and chapsticks. I have also seen this from something the patient is eating, chewing gum or lozenges. Cinnamon is the allergen I have encountered most in my patients. Finally, toothpaste can also be a culprit. I generally do not recommend changing to a natural toothpaste as a first step. However, if there has been any recent change in the patient’s toothpaste, I recommend reverting to their original brand or type. Treatment: stop all topicals except Vaseline especially those fance lip glosses and masks, eliminate gum and lozenges temporarily, keep toothpaste use consistent, and a prescription strength topical steroid to calm the rash.
For winter sports enthusiasts, sled riders and shovelers. Applying a layer of Vaseline to the lips should lock in the moisture and avoid chapping. Don’t forget sunscreen if it’s a pretty day. Remember only zinc and titanium for active ingredients and avoid all the fancy scents and chemical sunscreens. These are hard to find. A few I recommend are Dr Dans Lip Sunscreen, Sun Bum Mineral, Coola LipLux Zinc Oxide. We sell the last one in the office and it comes in some pretty shades.
Take away points….Apply as little as possible in the way of “fancy” lip products and be consistent in what you use and do. Vaseline, Vaseline, Vaseline. The only commercial lip balm we recommend for actively chapped lips is Dr Dans Cortibalm. And it’s not as expensive as Laneige and Summer Fridays.
How about you? Have you found a lip balm you love for winter. Share your finds with us on social media.
